IC-NRLF 


*B    2bM    Sbfl 


£>THICS 


COfAE,; 


GlNN    St.  COM  PA! 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Deceived        JAN      3    1.8.93...,  fg9 
Accessions  No.  if  Q  %  I O  ...  Class  No, 


PRIMER  OF  ETHICS 


EDITED  BY 


BENJAMIN    B.    COMEGYS, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  TALKS  WITH  BOYS  AND  GIRLS,"  "  BEGINNING  LIFE,"  "  How 
TO  GET  ON,"  "OLD  STORIES  WITH  NEW  LESSONS,"  "ADDRESSES 

TO  THE   PUPILS   OF  GlRARD   COLLEGE,"    ETC. 


bo4± 


BOSTON,   U.S.A.: 

PUBLISHED    BY   GINN   &   COMPANY. 
1891. 


MR.    ABBOTT'S    PREFACE. 


THERE  are  few  teachers  who  do  not  feel  the  need  of 
some  additional  means  and  facilities  to  aid  them  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  moral  sentiments  of  their  pupils ;  but 
to  provide  these  facilities  is  a  very  difficult  and  delicate 
task.  It  is  true  that  nothing  is  easier  than  to  write 
lectures  inculcating  moral  truth  ;  and,  at  the  same  time, 
scarcely  anything  is  more  difficult  than  to  convey  such 
instruction  so  as  to  secure  admission  for  it  to  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  children,  and  a  permanent  influence  there. 
This  little  work,  however,  is  an  attempt  to  accomplish 
this  object.  It  consists  of  a  series  of  lessons,  designed 
to  explain  and  illustrate  to  young  children  their  most 
simple  and  obvious  duties,  and  those  traits  of  moral 
character  which  it  is  most  desirable  should  be  early 
formed. 

The  teacher  will  observe  that  each  lesson  consists  of 
three  distinct  portions  :  — 

i.  A  general  statement  of  the  principle  or  duty  about 
to  be  explained  and  enforced.  It  stands  at  the  head  of 
the  lesson,  and  is  intended  to  be  committed  to  memory 
by  the  class.  It  may  be  recited  by  the  whole  of  the 


VI  MR.    ABBOTT  S    PREFACE. 

class  in  rotation,  or  by  any  part  of  it,  either  before  the 
reading,  or  immediately  before  the  questions  upon  the 
reading,  which  are  given  at  the  close  of  the  lesson ;  or 
the  committing  of  it  to  memory  may  be  dispensed  with 
entirely  —  according  to  the  discretion  of  the  teacher. 

2.  There   follows    an    explanation,    illustration,    and 
enforcement  of  the  principle.     This  reading  should  be 
accompanied   with   suitable   explanations   and   remarks 
by  the  teacher.     The  writer  has  endeavored  to  present 
the  subjects  discussed  in    such   points    of   view  as  to 
awaken  the  attention  and  excite  the  interest  of  chil- 
dren ;   but,   in  treating  the  subjects,  he  has  not  con- 
fined himself  to  the  language  of  children,  as  one  great 
object  of   such  an  exercise  is  to  advance  the   pupils' 
knowledge  of  language,  and  add  to  their  vocabulary  of 
English  words.     It  will  be  desirable,  therefore,  that  the 
teacher  should  frequently  question  the  readers  about 
the  meaning  of  words,  and  take  other  measures  to  secure 
the  full  understanding  of  the  lesson  by  the  class ;  and  it 
will  be  especially  beneficial  if  the  various  topics  discussed 
lead    to   additional    remarks    and    explanations    by  the 
teacher,  and  to  conversations  with  the  members  of  the 
class,  in  order  that  their  minds  may  be  made  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  principles  which  the  book  inculcates. 

3.  To  each  lesson  is  added   a   series  of   questions. 
Some  of  these  arise  directly  from  the  lessons  ;  others 
relate  to  the  subject  generally,  and  the  answer  is  to  be 
furnished  by  the  pupil  himself  from  his  own  reflections. 


MR.  ABBOTT'S  PREFACE.  vii 

These  questions,  or  a  part  of  them,  with  such  others  as 
the  teacher  may  add,  can  be  put  to  the  class,  in  succes- 
sion, at  the  close  of  each  exercise.  The  pupil  should  be 
encouraged  to  use  his  own  language  in  expressing  his 
replies ;  and,  in  fact,  it  will  be  observed,  as  has  been 
before  intimated,  that  there  are  questions  for  which  no 
direct  answers  can  be  found  in  the  lessons,  and  which 
the  pupil  must  consequently  answer  from  his  own  reflec- 
tions, and  in  his  own  language.  They  are  intended  to 
lead  him  to  reflect  upon  what  he  has  read,  and,  by  thus  ex- 
ercising his  thinking  and  reasoning  powers,  to  strengthen 
his  judgment  and  cultivate  hi$  moral  sense. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

TRUTH    . i 

OBEDIENCE     .                 9 

INDUSTRY 17 

HONESTY 22 

FIDELITY .        .        .31 

JUSTICE 36 

POLITENESS 44 

DUTIES  AT  SCHOOL 48 

DUTIES  TO  PLAYMATES 52 

BENEVOLENCE 58 

DUTIES  TO  DUMB  CREATURES 63 

TREATMENT  OF  ENEMIES 69 

PROFANITY 77 

CONSCIENCE 82 

CONSCIENTIOUSNESS 88 

DUTY  TO  PARENTS 95 

FORGIVENESS  . 102 

GRATITUDE 108 

PURITY            113 

REPENTANCE 119 

DUTY  TO  GOD 124 


A   PRIMER   OF   ETHICS. 


TRUTH. 

Truth  is  sincerity ;  and  in  all  we  say  and  do,  we  must  be  sin- 
cere. We  must  not  make  false  impressions,  directly  or  indirectly. 

THERE  are  many  ways  by  which  we  may  mislead  and 
deceive  others  by  what  we  say ;  and  these  ways  differ 
very  much  from  each  other  in  criminality.  Some  of  the 
principal  of  them  are  these  :  — 

1.  Saying  a  thing  when  we  know  it  is  not  true. 

2.  Saying  a  thing  when  we  do  not  know  whether  it  is 
true  or  not. 

v     3.    Prevaricating. 

4.  Misrepresenting. 

5.  Exaggerating. 

All  these  are  different  forms  of  untruth ;  let  us  con- 
sider  them  in  order  :  — 

I.  Saying  a  thing  when  we  know  it  is  not  true.  This 
is  absolute  falsehood ;  and  whoever  is  habitually  guilty 
of  it  after  he  is  old  enough  to  understand  the  nature  of 
the  sin,  is  depraved.  Young  people  are  perhaps  most 
frequently  led  into  this  sin  at  first  by  having  committed 
some  other  fault,  and  then  telling  a  lie  to  conceal  it. 
Sometimes  there  are  circumstances  which  seem  to  draw 

i 


A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

one  into  the  falsehood  without  any  previous  intention  to 
say  what  is  not  true.  A  boy  was  led  to  tell  a  false- 
hood in  this  way,  very  much  as  many  others  have  been. 

There  was  a  deep  pond  behind  his  father's  garden. 
Early  in  the  winter  it  froze  over.  One  morning  he  took 
the  axe  from  the  shed,  and  cut  a  hole  in  the  ice  to  fish. 
After  he  had  cut  the  hole,  the  axe  slipped  from  his 
hands,  fell  through  the  hole,  and  went  to  the  bottom. 
The  boy  ought  to  have  gone  at  once  and  told  his  father ; 
but  he  was  afraid  to  do  this,  and  so  he  said  nothing 
about  it. 

Shortly  after  this,  his  father  wanted  the  axe,  and  told 
his  son  to  see  if  he  could  find  it.  If  his  father  had  asked 
him  directly  if  he  knew  where  it  was,  probably  he  would 
have  told  him  the  truth ;  but,  as  he  asked  him  to  look 
for  it,  the  boy  said  nothing,  but  went  and  looked  in  the 
shed,  and  in  the  barn,  and  in  the  shop,  and  then  came 
back,  and  said  the  axe  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  This 
was  dishonest,  but  it  was  not  strictly  false.  He  had 
said,  thus  far,  nothing  which  was  not  true ;  but  he  was 
gradually  getting  himself  entangled  in  a  difficulty  which, 
it  might  easily  be  seen,  would  probably  lead  him  to  a 
direct  falsehood. 

His  father,  thinking  it  very  strange  that  the  axe 
should  disappear,  went  with  his  son  to  look  for  it,  and, 
on  the  way,  he  abruptly  asked  him.  whether  he  could 
not  recollect  having  had  it  lately ;  and  the  boy  hastily 
answered,  "  No."  He  had  only  an  instant  to  reflect ; 
and  in  that  instant  the  thought  flashed  through  his 
mind  that  he  could  not  now  confess  that  he  had  lost  the 
axe,  without  exposing  the  deception  he  had  practised  in 
pretending  to  look  for  it,  and  also  the  thought  that  it 


TRUTH.  3 

was  some  time  before  this  that  he  had  lost  the  axe ;  and 
his  father's  question  was,  whether  he  had  seen  it  lately. 
This  enabled  him  to  quiet  his  conscience  a  little,  and  to 
flatter  himself  that  he  was  not  telling  an  absolute  lie. 
The  next  moment,  his  father  asked  him  whether  he  had 
seen  it  anywhere  since  they  were  splitting  the  log  in  the 
shed;  and  he  answered,  "  No,  sir."  His  father  then 
went  away;  and  the  son  sat  down  on  a  log  before  the 
wood-pile,  and  covered  his  face  with  his  hands,  over- 
whelmed with  the  bitter  reflection  that  he  had  been 
gradually  led  on  to  tell  his  father  an  absolute  and  un- 
qualified lie.  His  peace  of  mind  was  destroyed.  All 
that  afternoon  and  evening  he  was  afraid  to  meet  his 
father,  for  fear  he  would  say  something  about  the  axe. 
The  sight  of  the  shed,  of  the  wood-pile,  of  the  ice,  and 
even  of  the  wood  burning  in  the  fire-place,  seemed  to 
recall  to  his  mind  the  thoughts  of  his  sin ;  and  he  was 
afraid  all  the  time,  that  his  father  would  go  down  to  the 
pond,  and  see  the  hole  cut  in  the  ice,  and  so  would  dis- 
cover his  guilt.  At  first,  he  thought  that  the  hole  would 
soon  freeze  over  again ;  but  then  he  reflected  that  it 
would  leave  a  sort  of  scar  upon  the  spot,  which  would, 
perhaps,  remain  all  winter  to  reproach  and  betray  him. 
At  night  he  could  not  sleep  ;  and  at  last  he  was  so  mis- 
erable that  he  got  up  and  went  to  his  father's  chamber, 
and  confessed  that  he  had  lost  the  axe  through  the  ice, 
and  had  told  falsehoods  about  it;  and  he  said  that  he 
was  so  wretched  in  consequence,  that  he  did  not  know 
what  to  do. 

It  is  very  often  in  a  way  somewhat  like  this  that 
young  people  are  led  to  tell  their  first  wilful  falsehoods. 
Then,  unless  they  go  and  confess  them  honestly,  as 


4  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

this  boy  did,  they  bear  the  reproaches  of  conscience 
for  a  time,  until  they  gradually  forget  the  offence ;  and 
then,  on  the  next  occasion,  they  commit  the  sin  a  little 
more  deliberately,  and  with  less  compunction.  They  go 
on  very  fast  in  the  downward  course,  when  they  have 
thus  begun.  They  say  what  is  false  more  and  more 
frequently  and  boldly,  until,  at  length,  they  are  ready  at 
any  time  to  tell  a  lie  to  conceal  their  faults,  or  to  gain 
their  wishes.  Their  characters  always  become  known ; 
neither  their  parents  nor  their  teachers  can  believe 
them  ;  and  even  their  acquaintances  know  that  there  is 
no  dependence  to  be  placed  upon  anything  they  say. 

2.  The  second  form  of  untruthfulness  mentioned  is :  — 
making  a  statement  when  we  do  not  know  whether  it 
is  true  or  not.  A  woman  went  away  one  afternoon,  and 
left  the  house  in  charge  of  her  daughter,  directing  her 
to  stay  in  the  house,  and  attend  to  any  one  who  might 
come.  After  her  mother  had  gone,  the  daughter  went 
to  play  in  the  garden,  until  just  before  the  time  for  her 
mother  to  return  ;  and  then,  when  her  mother  came 
home,  and  asked  her  if  there  had  been  anybody  there, 
she  said  "No." 

Now,  this  was  not  a  direct  and  absolute  falsehood  ;  but 
there  was  an  indirect  falsehood  implied  in  it ;  because, 
when  she  said  that  nobody  had  called  at  the  house,  she 
wished  her  mother  .to  understand  that  she  had  been 
faithful  at  her  post,  and  knew  that  what  she  said  was 
true.  Her  mother  did  understand  her  so,  and  was  de- 
ceived ;  so  there  was  falsehood  involved  in  her  answer, 
though  it  was  not  directly  expressed.  A  farmer  asked  his 
boy  if  the  cows  were  all  in  the  barn-yard,  and  the  boy 
said,  "  Yes,"  when  he  did  not  know  whether  they  were 


TRUTH.  5 

there  or  not,  but  only  supposed  they  were  there,  and 
did  not  wish  to  take  the  trouble  to  go  and  see.  A  man 
had  a  horse  to  sell,  and  said  that  he  was  only  seven 
years  old,  when  he  did  not  know  how  old  he  was.  Now, 
both  these  persons  were  guilty  of  indirect  falsehood.  The 
falsehood  was  not  absolute  and  express,  as  it  would  have 
been  if  the  boy  had  known  that  the  cows  were  not  all  in 
the  yard,  and  if  the  man  had  known  that  his  horse  was 
more  than  seven  years  old.  They  presumed,  and  hoped, 
that  what  they  said  was  true  ;  but  they  did  not  know  that 
it  was  true  ;  and,  by  asserting  it  as  if  they  did  know,  and 
by  intending  to  lead  others  to  suppose  that  they  knew, 
they  were  guilty  of  indirect  falsehood.  There  is  very 
much  of  this  kind  of  falsehood  in  the  world.  Many 
persons,  who  would  on  no  account  say  what  they  know 
to  be  false,  often  say  what  they  have  no  sufficient  reason 
for  believing  to  be  true. 

3.  Prevaricating.  This  means  saying  something  which 
is  not  in  itself  strictly  and  absolutely  false,  but  which 
is  intended  to  convey  a  false  meaning ;  as,  when  a  boy 
said  that  he  had  not  a  single  nut  in  his  pocket,  while  in 
fact,  he  had  many.  When  the  nuts  were  found  there, 
he  attempted  to  justify  himself  by  saying  he  had  not  a 
single  nut  —  he  had  several.  A  man  had  a  house  to 
sell,  and  the  purchaser  asked  him  whether  it  had  a  good 
well  of  water,  and  he  answered  that  the  water  was  excel- 
lent, and  it  afterwards  appeared  that,  though  the  water 
was  excellent  while  it  lasted,  yet  that  the  well  was  dry 
for  two  months  in  the  summer.  This  man  was  guilty  of 
prevarication.  It  is  a  kind  of  falsehood  which  is  very 
common.  Even  if  not  so  wicked  as  an  absolute  lie,  it  is 
very  wrong.  We  ought  never  to  say  what  will  make 
a  false  impression. 


0  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

4.  Misrepresentation.    We  misrepresent  when  we  tell 
a  part  of  the  truth  and  conceal  the  rest ;  or  when  we 
distort  or  color  it,  in  the  interest  of  our  own  feelings. 
When  two  boys  have  any  disagreement  or  contention, 
and  attempt  to  give  an  account  of  the  circumstances  to 
their  mother  or  teacher,  they  almost  always  misrepresent 
the  ease.     Each  conceals  or  passes  over  very  slightly 
what  he  himself  did  which  was  wrong,  and  states  very 
emphatically  and  strongly  what  the  other  did  which  was 
wrong.     A  boy  is  knocking  a  ball,  and  the  bat  acciden- 
tally hits  another  boy,  and  he  complains  that  the  first 
boy  struck  him  with  a  great  stick ;  this  is  misrepresen- 
tation.    It  gives  a  wrong  idea.     This  is  a  fault  to  which 
all  persons  are  exposed.     Yet  it  is  a  kind  of  falsehood. 
We  are  led  into  it  by  our  feelings,  by  anger,  by  irrita- 
tion, by  our  desire  to  gain  our  point,  whatever  that  may 
be,  and  by  other  strong  emotions.     But  we  ought  to 
guard  against  it  with  the  greatest  care,  and  watch  our- 
selves, especially  when  our  feelings  are  strongly  inter- 
ested in  any  case,  lest  we  turn  truth  into  falsehood,  by 
intentional  or  unintentional  misrepresentation. 

5.  Exaggeration.     This  is  lying  by  representing  any- 
thing greater  than  it  really  is ;  as  when  a  boy  says  that 
he  has  been  trying  very  hard  indeed,  for  a  long  time,  to 
do  a  certain  example  on  his  slate,  when  he  had  not,  in 
fact,  been  very  diligent,  and  had   only  been  employed 
upon  the  work  a  short  time.     Young  people  exaggerate 
their  sickness    sometimes,  when  they  are  only  a  little 
unwell,  but  want  to  be  excused  from  going  to  school, 
or  from  doing  some  work.     They  exaggerate  the  diffi- 
culties in  doing  anything  they  do  not  want  to  do;  and, 
in  describing  what  they  have  seen  or  done,  they  often 


TRUTH.  / 

make  it  much  greater  or  more  wonderful  than  it  really 
was.  Travellers  often  exaggerate  the  dangers  they  have 
passed  through,  or  the  marvellousness  of  the  sights 
which  they  have  seen.  There  are  very  few  persons, 
whether  old  or  young,  whose  accounts  of  what  they  see 
and  hear  can  be  fully  depended  upon,  as  strictly  accu- 
rate and  just.  Their  feelings,  their  interests,  and  even 
the  excitement  of  conversation  or  of  argument,  are 
often  sufficient  to  lead  them  to  overstate  facts,  so  that 
their  statements  cannot  be  depended  upon.  Yet,  by 
all  these  exaggerations,  truth  is  sacrificed. 

QUESTIONS. 

There  are  several  ways  mentioned  at  the  beginning  of  the  lesson, 
by  which  we  may  deceive  and  mislead  others  ;  name  any  of  them 
that  you  can  recollect.  Which  is  said  to  be  the  worst  of  them  f 

How  is  it  that  boys  are  generally  led  to  begin  to  speak  falsehood  ? 

Describe  the  case  of  the  boy  who  lost  the  axe. 

When  he  said  that  he  could  not  find  the  axe,  did  he  tell  an  abso- 
lute lie?  Was  he  dishonest? 

What  ought  he  to  have  done  when  he  first  lost  the  axe? 

What  is  the  second  offence  against  truth,  which  is  mentioned  in 
the  lesson  ? 

Tell  the  story  of  the  girl  left  in  charge  of  a  house. 

Did  she  know  that  what  she  stated  was  not  true? 

Was  she  to  blame  for  saying  nobody  had  been  there  ?  Was  she 
as  much  to  blame  as  she  would  have  been  if  she  had  known  that 
somebody  had  been  there,  and  yet  had  said  what  she  did? 

Do  you  remember  any  other  cases  of  this  kind  of  falsehood  ? 

What  is  prevaricating  ? 

How  is  this  seen  in  the  case  of  the  man  who  had  a  house  to  sell  ? 

What  is  misrepresentation? 

Which  do  you  think  is  most  common,  prevarication  or  misrepre- 
sentation? 

Is  prevarication  always  intentional  ? 


8  A    PRIMER   OF   ETHICS. 

Is  misrepresentation  always  intentional? 

Which  should  you  consider  generally  the  more  wicked,  to  prevari- 
cate or  to  misrepresent? 

In  what  cases  are  children  under  very  strong  temptation  to  misrep- 
resent? 

Did  you  ever  know  any  children  who  would  not  misrepresent  in 
such  cases? 

What  is  exaggeration?     Can  you  give  an  example  of  it? 

Do  you  think  these  principles  are  too  strict  ? 

Should  you  like  to  have  all  your  playmates  and  companions  live 
up  to  them  ? 

Can  lies  be  told  without  speaking  words? 

How  can  any  one  act  a  lie  ? 

How  early  in  life  can  a  child  tell  lies  ? 

May  persons  who  are  known  to  be  saying  extravagant  things  for 
fun  do  so  without  lying? 

How?    Nobody  is  deceived. 

How  can  any  one  think  a  lie? 

Is  this  as  bad  as  a  spoken  lie? 

Are  people  often  tempted  to  tell  lies  ? 

Can  a  liar  have  the  respect  of  good  people  ? 

What  are  lying  lips  said  to  be  ? 


OBEDIENCE. 

Obedience  is  doing  what  is  commanded,  or  not  doing  what  is 
forbidden,  because  it  is  commanded  or  forbidden  by  one  who  has 
authority.  Obedience  should  be  prompt,  faithful  and  cheerful. 

IN  the  various  circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed 
in  life  we  are  all  under  obligation  to  obey.  The  soldier 
must  obey  his  officer,  the  sailor  must  obey  his  com- 
mander, the  apprentice  must  obey  his  master,  and  every 
citizen  must  obey  the  laws  of  the  land.  Children  and 
youth  are  under  special  obligations  to  obey  their  parents, 
their  teachers  and  their  guardians.  In  all  these,  and  in 
many  other  cases,  persons  are  bound  to  obey. 

Now,  obedience  is  doing  what  is  commanded,  because 
it  is  commanded,  and  not  because  we  think  it  is  best  to 
do  it. 

It  is  important  to  understand  this,  because  it  often 
happens  that  when  young  people  receive  a  command 
from  their  parents  or  teachers,  instead  of  obeying  it, 
they  stop  to  ask  for  the  reason  of  it,  —  as  if  it  were 
necessary  that  they  should  understand  the  reason  before 
they  obey.  This  is  wrong.  When  we  are  commanded 
to  do  anything  by  a  person  who  has  authority,  we  ought 
to  do  it  because  it  is  commanded,  and  not  because  we 
see  a  reason  for  it.  It  is  very  proper  for  young  people 
to  wish  to  know  the  reasons  for  their  parents'  com- 
mands ;  but  they  must  never  delay  their  obedience  to 

9 


IO  A    PRIMER   OF    ETHICS. 

inquire.  They  should  obey  first,  and  ask  the  reason 
afterwards. 

A  child  may  know  what  the  reason  of  the  command 
is,  and  yet  not  be  satisfied  with  it  :  and  think,  on  that 
account  he  may  refuse  to  obey.  His  father  tells  him 
not  to  go  upon  a  certain  piece  of  ice,  because  he  thinks 
it  is  not  strong  enough  to  bear  him  ;  and  the  boy 
thinks  -it  is  strong  enough  :  but  he  ought  to  obey,  not 
because  he  sees  the  command  is  reasonable,  but  be- 
cause it  is  a  command.  So  the  sailor  must  take  in  sail 
at  once,  when  the  captain  orders  him  to  do  it,  even  if 
he  thinks  it  ought  not  to  be  taken  in ;  and  the  appren- 
tice, or  the  boy,  or  man,  ought  to  do  the  work  as  the 
master  or  employer  directs,  even  if  he  thinks  he  knows 
a  better  way. 

And  more  than  this  :  a  case  may  happen  in  which  a 
boy  may  know  that  his  father  or  mother  was  mistaken, 
and  that  the  command  was  an  unnecessary  one ;  still  it 
ought  to  be  obeyed.  A  farmer  once  was  sending  his 
boy  some  miles  to  a  grist-mill,  and  he  told  him  to  go 
round  by  the  bridge  to  get  across  the  stream,  as  the 
fording-place  was  not  safe.  Now,  the  boy  knew  that  it 
was  safe ;  he  had  crossed  the  ford  many  times,  and  he 
knew  that  his  father  was  mistaken.  His  father  was  old, 
and  feeble,  and  timid,  and  his  son  was  sure  that  he  was 
needlessly  afraid.  Still  he  obeyed  him.  He  might  have 
taken  the  short  road  through  the  ford,  instead  of  going 
round  by  the  bridge,  and  his  father  would  probably  never 
have  known  of  his  disobedience.  But  he  would  not  dis- 
obey. He  knew  that  the  reason  why  he  must  obey  his 
father,  was  not  because  it  was  certain  that  his  father 
would  always  be  right,  but  because  he  was  his  father, 


OBEDIENCE.  1 1 

and  that  he  had  the  right  to  command  his  son.  This  is 
the  very  nature  of  obedience,  and  young  people  should 
understand  that  it  is  obedience  which  they  owe  to  their 
parents.  When,  therefore,  a  boy's  father  or  mother 
directs  him  to  do  anything,  he  must  remember  that  it 
is  a  command,  not  advice ;  and  therefore  it  is  not 
necessary  that  he  should  know  or  be  satisfied  with 
the  reasons,  or  refuse  to  obey  because  he  is  not  told 
them. 

r  Obedience  ought  to  be  prompt ;  that  is,  the  command 
must  be  obeyed  as  soon  as  it  is  given,  or  at  the  time 
directed.  Sometimes  children  delay,  ask  the  reason  for 
the  command,  or  make  objections  ;  sometimes  they  are 
doing  something  else  which  they  do  not  wish  *o  leave ; 
and  sometimes,  when  the  duty  is  not  very  pleasant,  they 
move  so  slowly  and  reluctantly  in  doing  it,  as  to  consume 
more  time  than  is  necessary  to  accomplish  the  object. 

Prompt  obedience  is  worth  much  more  than  that 
which  is  reluctant  and  slow.  He  who  obeys  tardily 
does  not  more  than  half  obey.  He  who  moves  slowly 
when  he  is  told  to  do  something ;  who  spends  much 
time  in  making  preparations  to  do  it ;  who  stops  to  ask 
questions,  or  to  make  objections,  or  to  propose  some 
other  way ;  who  loiters  when  sent  with  a  message,  and 
who  puts  off  as  long  as  he  can  every  duty,  —  such  a 
boy  would  be  of  very  little  service  to  his  employer. 
7  Then,  too,  prompt  obedience  is  much  the  more  pleas- 
ant. If  a  disagreeable  duty  is  to  be  performed,  the 
easiest  way  to  get  through  it  is  to  do  it  at  once.  Two 
boys  have  paths  to  make  every  morning  after  a  snow- 
storm. One,  as  soon  as  he  is  dressed,  is  out  at  his 
work,  facing  the  cool  morning  air  as  a  General  would 


12  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

face  an  enemy.  The  other  peeps  out  to  see  if  it  is  cold  ; 
then  comes  back  and  stands  for  a  long  time  about  the 
fire,  putting  on  his  mittens  and  warming  his  feet,  and 
dreading  his  work.  At  last  he  is  just  ready  to  begin 
when  the  first  boy  is  finishing.  Which,  now,  gets 
through  his  work  more  easily  and  pleasantly  ?  The  way 
to  make  a  disagreeable  or  painful  duty  as  disagreeable 
and  painful  as  possible,  is  to  perform  it  in  a  reluctant, 
inefficient  'and  dilatory  manner. 

•7  Obedience  ought  to  be  cheerful.  It  must  necessarily 
be  that  many  commands  which  we  have  to  obey  are 
disagreeable.  Still  they  must  be  obeyed  ;  and  they  are 
made  much  more  disagreeable  to  all  concerned  by  being 
obeyed  in  a  sullen  and  ill-natured  manner.  The  com- 
mands which  are  given  to  young  people  are  of  different 
kinds  ;  but  there  is  good  reason  for  obeying  them  cheer- 
fully and  pleasantly.  Some  are  given  solely  upon  the 
child's  own  account,  to  do  him  some  good,  as  when  he  is 
sent  to  school ;  or  to  save  him  from  future  suffering,  as 
when  he  is  required  to  take  medicine  when  he  is  sick, 
or  when  he  is  told  to  put  down  a  penknife  with  which 
he  wants  to  play.  Many  of  the  restraints  and  priva- 
tions which  are  imposed  upon  children  are  of  this  kind. 
They  are  for  their  own  good.  It  is  true  this  is  not 
enough  to  make  them  agreeable  to  bear,  but  it  is  enough 
to  make  it  the  duty  of  a  child  to  bear  them  cheerfully 
and  without  murmuring.  Other  commands  are  for  the 
benefit  of  the  parent,  as  when  there  is  work  to  do,  or  a 
message  to  carry,  or  a  young  child  to  be  watched  and 
taken  care  of.  These  duties  often  come  at  a  time  when 
children  find  it  very  inconvenient  to  attend  to  them ; 
but  they  must  be  attended  to  ;  and  whatever  we  have  to 


OBEDIENCE.  13 

give  up  of  our  own  wishes  and  plans,  to  help  a  father  or 
mother,  or  any  other  person,  ought  to  be  given  up  cheer- 
fully. Those  children  who  have  any  sense  of  gratitude, 
and  who  consider  how  many  painful,  and  wearisome,  and 
long-continued  anxieties  and  labors  the  parent  has  suf- 
fered for  the  child,  without  a  word  of  repining,  will  not 
think  it  right  to  repine  at  any  inconveniences  they  can 
be  called  upon  to  submit  to  in  return. 

Obedience  ought  to  be  faithful.  When  any  work  is 
to  be  done  by  boys  and  girls,  they  ought  to  go  forward 
as  steadily  and  industriously  when  they  are  not  watched 
as  when  they  are.  It  is  not  enough  to  go  through  the 
forms  of  obedience.  If  a  boy  should  be  set  to  write  or 
to  study  for  an  hour,  in  a  room  by  himself,  he  must  not 
only  remain  there  at  his  post,  but  he  must  give  his 
mind  diligently  to  his  work.  A  faithful  boy  will  do  so 
whether  he  is  observed  or  not.  He  is  impelled  by  an 
inward  principle  of  duty,  and  by  a  desire  for  the  satis- 
faction and  happiness  which  fidelity  will  always  secure. 
And  so  in  school.  Faithful  boys  know  from  experience 
that  the  time  passes  most  pleasantly  when  they  are 
most  industriously  employed.  They  do  not  think  it 
enough,  merely  to  sit  still  while  the  mind  is  straying 
far  away. 

There  are  many  different  ways  of  giving  commands. 
Thus,  in  a  ship  at  sea,  the  orders  of  an  officer  are  some- 
times given  by  his  own  voice,  sometimes  in  writing, 
sometimes  by  a  messenger,  sometimes  by  peculiar  flags 
hung  out  as  signals,  and  sometimes  even  by  a  whistle. 
The  boatswain  has  a  peculiar  kind  of  whistle,  which  he 
blows  in  various  ways,  so  as  to  tell  the  sailors  when  they 
must  pull  upon  a  rope,  and  when  they  must  ceasq 


14  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

pulling ;  when  they  must  come  up  on  deck  and  when 
they  must  go  down.  The  shrill  whistle  can  be  heard 
more  distinctly  amidst  the  roar  of  the  winds  and  waves 
than  other  sounds.  You  know  in  a  street  car,  orders  to 
stop  or  go  on  are  given  by  pulling  a  bell.  Many  of  the 
orders  given  to  the  engineer  of  a  railway  train  are  given 
by  bells,  or  by  whistles  which  are  sounded  through  the 
air-brakes,  or  by  electric  wires.  So  in  the  army,  men 
are  directed  by  the  cavalry  bugle  and  tap  of  drum. 

Now,  it  makes  no  difference  in  which  of  these  ways 
an  order  is  given.  The  sailors,  engineers  and  soldiers 
are  bound  to  obey  in  one  case  as  much  as  in  another. 
And  so  with  children  in  a  family  or  pupils  in  a  school ; 
they  are  bound  to  obey  their  parents  and  teachers,  in 
whatever  way  the  order  is  communicated.  A  boy  who 
does  not  come  in  when  the  bell  rings,  disobeys.  The 
touch  of  bell  was  the  order.  If  a  mother  beckons  to 
a  child  who  is  out  at  play,  it  is  a  command  to  come 
in,  as  certainly  as  the  most  decided  language  could  be. 
If  a  direction  is  sent  from  a  parent,  by  the  youngest 
child  as  a  messenger,  it  is  to  be  obeyed  as  promptly  and 
faithfully  as  if  it  were  delivered  by  the  parent  himself. 
All  that  is  necessary  is,  that  the  wish  of  the  parent 
should  be  made  known ;  it  is  certainly  immaterial  in 
what  manner  this  is  done. 

Young  people  and  children  are  bound  also  to  obey  the 
laws  of  the  state  or  commonwealth.  A  boy  or  girl  has 
no  more  right  than  a  man  or  woman  would  have,  to 
disobey  laws  made  for  the  protection  of  property  or  the 
security  of  the  rights  of  others.  The  sign  "  Trespass- 
ing forbidden  under  the  penalty  of  the  law,"  is  a  com- 
mand to  be  observed  by  children  as  well  as  grown  people. 


OBEDIENCE.  1 5 

A  boy  who  fires  a  toy  pistol  or  uses  a  sling-shot  within 
limits  forbidden  by  law,  is  as  truly  a  bad  citizen  as  a 
man  who  commits  an  act  'which  brings  him  under 
punishment  of  the  law. 

Such  is  the  kind  of  obedience  which  young  people 
ought  to  render  to  their  parents,  to  their  teachers 
and  to  the  state  ;  and  they  ought  to  render  it  of  their 
own  accord  and  willingly,  without  making  it  necessary 
to  exercise  force.  But  if  they  will  not  obey  of  their  own 
accord,  it  is  most  undoubtedly  the  parent's  or  teacher's 
duty  to  compel  them  to  obey.  This  is  a  very  painful 
duty,  but  it  must  be  performed.  Children  are  not  old 
enough  to  understand  the  reasons  for  all  the  commands 
and  prohibitions  which  their  parents  or  teachers  think 
necessary.  In  some  cases  where  they  might  understand, 
there  is  not  time  to  explain  them.  Then,  even  where 
the  reasons  can  be  understood,  and  are  fully  explained, 
young  people,  as  we  all  know  perfectly  well,  cannot  be 
depended  upon  to  do  what  they  know  is  best,  without 
being  required  to  do  it.  They  have  not  sufficient  firm- 
ness, constancy  and  self-denial.  It  is  not  reasonable  to 
expect  it  of  them.  It  becomes  necessary,  by  the  very 
nature  of  their  minds,  that  there  should  be  a  power 
above  them,  to  make  up,  by  its  authority,  for  their  want 
of  mental  and  moral  energy  and  self-control.  Parents 
and  teachers  must  therefore  have  authority.  They 
cannot  depend  upon  advice  or  persuasion  ;  they  must 
command.  And  children  must  obey.  Obedience  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  good  government  in  the  family, 
the  school,  and  the  state. 


l6  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 


QUESTIONS. 

Are  men  as  well  as  children  often  under  obligation  to  obey? 

What  cases  can  you  mention  where  men  have  to  obey  ? 

What  is  meant  by  obeying  ? 

When  we  have  a  command  to  obey,  is  it  necessary  that  we  should 
understand  the  reasons  for  it? 

Is  it  wrong  for  us  to  wish  to  know  the  reasons  for  it? 

Is  it  right  to  postpone  obeying  the  command  in  order  that  we 
may  ask  the  reasons  for  it? 

Is  it  any  excuse  for 'not  obeying,  that  the  reasons  do  not  seem 
satisfactory  ? 

Suppose  we  know  our  parents  are  mistaken,  must  we  obey? 
Would  it  be  hard  to  obey  good-humoredly  in  such  a  case?  Would 
it  be  duty  to  obey? 

What  case  is  given  to  illustrate  this  ? 

What  is  meant  by  prompt  obedience  ? 

Describe  the  case  of  the  two  boys. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  prohibition? 

Is  it  possible  that  the  commands  and  prohibitions  of  a  parent 
should  always  be  pleasant? 

Is  it  possible  that  they  should  be  obeyed  pleasantly? 

Do  you  recollect  anything  which  is  said  of  faithful  obedience? 

Must  children  obey  the  laws  of  the  state? 

How  can  they  disobey  them? 

Mention  some  of  the  different  ways  by  which  commands  are  given 
at  sea. 

Do  these  different  ways  cause  any  difference  in  regard  to  the  duty 
of  obeying? 

In  what  different  ways  do  parents  sometimes  communicate  their 
orders  ?  Is  the  obligation  to  obey  of  the  same  nature  in  all  these 
cases  ? 

Can  young  people  be  depended  upon  always  to  do  what  they  ought 
to  do,  when  they  know  what  it  is? 

Is  it  necessary,  then,  that  they  should  be  made  to  obey? 

Suppose  they  will  not  do  it  of  their  own  accord,  what  is  the  duty 
of  the  parent  or  teacher? 

Can  there  be  good  government  anywhere  without  obedience  ? 


INDUSTRY. 

Industry  is  constant  diligence  in  any  proper  employment ;  and 
we  are  happier  when  employed  than  when  idle. 

INDUSTRY,  to  be  most  successful,  must  be  steady,  per- 
severing and  wisely  directed. 

/  i.  Industry  ought  to  be  steady.  When  a  young  boy 
and  a  man  of  maturity  and. experience  go  out  together 
to  work,  we  shall  see  a  very  marked  difference  in  their 
manner.  They  go  into  the  forest,  on  a  winter  morning, 
with  a  sled  drawn  by  oxen,  to  get  in  wood.  The  boy  is 
running  hither  and  thither,  and  jumping  about  the  sled ; 
and  when  he  comes  to  the  woods  he  begins  cutting,  with 
great  zeal  and  earnestness,  to  see  if  he  cannot  get  a  log 
cut  off  sooner  than  the  man.  The  man  moves  deliber- 
ately. He  takes  no  unnecessary  steps  ;  he  makes  no 
violent  exertion.  The  boy  is  exhausted  in  an  hour,  and 
after  that  can  do  very  little  more ;  while  the  man  is 
able  to  continue  his  labor  steadily  till  the  sun  goes 
down  in  the  evening. 

Industry  to  be  steady  must  not  be  violent ;  and  the 
most  effectual  way  to  accomplish  any  purpose  is,  gener- 
ally, to  exert  ourselves  with  moderation,  and  then  we 
can  continue  to  work  longer. 

>  Boys  and  girls  are  very  often  unsteady  in  what  they 
do.  It  is  not  because  they  mean  to  do  wrong  ;  it  results 
from  the  nature  of  youth,  which  is,  to  be  ardent,  but 


1 8  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

easily  fatigued.  So  when  sent  upon  an  errand,  they  will 
set  off  upon  the  run,  and  then,  when  half-way  to  their 
place  of  destination,  they  sit  down  to  rest.  When  work 
is  given  them,  they  begin  with  the  greatest  energy ;  but 
in  a  few  minutes  their  breath  is  spent,  their  strength  is 
gone.  Now,  industry  must  be  steady.  The  work 
should  be  begun  with  moderation,  so  that  the  strength 
may  endure.  Emergencies  of  haste  or  danger  require 
extraordinary  exertions,  no  doubt ;  but  for  ordinary 
duties,  it  is  best  always  to  begin  in  such  a  way  as  to 
be  able  to  go  on ;  and  then  we  must  have  resolution  to 
go  on  steadily  to  the  end. 

?  2.  Industry  must  be  persevering.  One  cause  of  want 
of  perseverance  among  some  persons,  is  their  loss  of 
interest  in  what  they  have  begun,  so  they  abandon  it 
for  something  else.  Thus  they  go  on,  and  waste  time 
and  strength  upon  unfinished  undertakings.  There  was 
a  boy  who  began  to  build  himself  a  little  shop.  He  got 
the  boards  together,  and  sawed  some  of  them  so  as  to 
make  them  of  the  proper  length.  This  consumed  all 
his  leisure  time  for  two  days.  Then  he  saw  a  squirrel 
upon  a  wood-pile,  and  that  put  it  in  his  head  to  make  a 
trap.  He  worked  upon  this  trap  until  he  got  it  all  ready 
to  nail  together,  when  one  day  a  boy  brought  a  boat  to 
school,  rigged  very  prettily,  and  then  he  concluded  to 
make  a  boat  as  soon  as  possible.  Thus  he  abandoned 
one  thing  after  another  and  in  the  end  accomplished 
nothing.  He  worked  many  days  upon  his  shop,  trap 
and  boat,  but  he  produced  nothing  which  was  of  any 
value  whatever.  We  cannot  expect,  when  we  begin 
large  undertakings,  that  the  interest  with  which  we  be- 
gan will  continue  to  the  end,  As  soon  as  the  novelty 


INDUSTRY.  19 

is  gone,  and  the  exertions  begin  to  tire,  then  those  who 
are  only  stimulated  by  novelty  and  momentary  zeal,  find 
their  energies  failing,  and  the  undertaking  is  abandoned. 
But  the  persevering  press  on.  Resolution  and  energy 
come  in  to  take  the  place  of  the  excited  interest  with 
which  they  began,  and  they  go  on  with  firmness  and 
steadiness  of  purpose  till  their  object  is  accomplished. 
Labor,  without  perseverance,  is  often  wasted. 

Young  people  very  often  show  a  want  of  perseverance 
in  the  studies  which  they  begin  in  school.  When  some 
new  study  is  spoken  of,  they  are  very  desirous  of  under- 
taking it.  They  are  sure  that  they  will  like  it.  And  so 
they  will  like  the  beginning  of  it,  which  is  all  that  they 
can  distinctly  foresee ;  and  the  interest  and  pleasure 
which  really  belong  to  the  novelty  of  the  undertaking, 
they  think  will  attach  permanently  to  the  study  itself. 
They  begin  with  great  zeal ;  but  when  the  first  ardor  is 
over,  and  they  find  that  the  new  study,  which  looked  so 
attractive,  requires  the  same  hard  work  that  the  old 
studies  did,  they  are  disappointed  and  discouraged,  and 
their  interest  is  gone.  The  remedy  for  this  is  to  under- 
stand very  fully,  and  never  forget,  that  all  undertakings, 
pursuits  and  studies,  after  the  impulse  and  novelty  of 
the  first  onset  are  over,  demand  patient  and  persevering 
application  for  their  successful  accomplishment ;  and 
then,  when  the  excitement  and  interest  of  novelty  fail, 
we  may  hope  that  a  spirit  of  perseverance  and  energy 
will  take  their  place. 

,  3.  Industry  must  be  well  directed.  Making  a  railroad 
is  a  well-directed  industry.  The  interest  and  pleasure 
of  construction  are  great,  and  the  road  is  a  public  conven- 
ience. So  is  the  building  of  a  ship  or  a  bridge.  Chil- 


2O  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

dren  waste  time  in  doing  things  which  they  have  not  the 
power  to  finish,  and  sometimes  upon  things  which  will 
do  them  no  good  and  give  them  no  pleasure  if  they  do 
succeed  in  completing  them.  A  boy  undertook  to  make 
a  little  saw-mill,  on  a  stream.  He  found  an  old  saw- 
plate,  which  he  was  going  to  use  for  the  saw  of  his  mill ; 
and  then  with  the  tools  which  his  father  had,  he  under- 
took to  make  the  wheels  and  the  frames,  and  to  fit  all 
the  parts  together.  But  the  work  was  beyond  his 
power.  After  spending  much  time  and  labor,  he  had 
to  give  up  the  work  in  despair.  His  industry  was  ill 
directed.  Another  boy  has  undertaken  to  keep  two 
balls  in  the  air,  catching  one  as  it  comes  down,  while 
the  other  is  going  up.  He  practises  every  day,  some- 
times an  hour  at  a  time,  and  perseveres  wonderfully. 
But  his  industry  is  ill  directed.  The  accomplishment 
will  be  good  for  nothing  but  to  make  idle  boys  wonder, 
when  he  has  learned  to  do  it.  Two  boys  are  building  a 
bridge  across  a  stream  where  they  often  go  to  play. 
They  are  laying  a  solid  abutment  of  stone  at  the  edge 
of  each  bank,  constructing  them  carefully,  as  they  have 
seen  masons  build  a  wall.  They  have  selected  a  plank, 
which  they  are  going  to  place  across,  when  the  abut- 
ments which  are  to  support  the  ends  of  the  plank  are 
completed.  This  is  well-directed  industry.  There  is  a 
reasonable  prospect  that  they  can  accomplish  the  work, 
and  they  will  have  the  pleasure  of  crossing  and  recross- 
ing  upon  their  bridge  for  months  and  months  after  all 
the  labor  of  building  has  been  forgotten. 

Much  of  the  industry  of  men,  as  well  as  that  of  boys, 
is  wasted  in  ill-directed  efforts.  Sometimes,  for  want  of 
proper  care  and  deliberation  in  forming  the  plan,  the 


INDUSTRY.  21 

whole  enterprise  fails.  Sometimes  they  attempt  to  do 
what  is  impossible;  and  sometimes,  after  a  long  period 
of  toil  and  anxiety  and  heavy  expenditure,  they  accom- 
plish their  object;  but  they  find  that  it  entirely  disap- 
points their  expectations  and  hopes  when  it  is  obtained. 
Therefore,  in  all  our  undertakings,  whether  in  the  play 
of  childhood  or  in  the  serious  pursuits  of  life,  we  ought 
to  consider  whether  it  is  worth  while  to  do  what  we  pro- 
pose, and  if  so,  how  it  shall  be  done,  before  we  begin  to 
expend  our  energies  upon  it ;  and  thus  our  industry  will 
be  wisely  directed.  If  we  are  steady  and  persevering 
also,  the  results  may  be  of  great  value. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  industry  ? 

What  is  necessary  to  make  it  successful  ? 

What  may  be  the  consequence  of  a  too  eager  beginning  of  any 
work? 

Is  it  easy  for  young  persons  to  be  steady  in  their  work  ? 

Is  it  easy  for  them  to  be  steady  in  their  studies  ? 

How  must  we  begin  our  labors  if  we  wish  to  go  on  steadily? 

What  is  perseverance? 

Give  an  account  of  the  management  of  the  boy  who  did  not  stick 
to  one  thing. 

Was  he  industrious? 

Was  his  industry  persevering? 

How  do  children  often  manifest  a  want  of  perseverance  in  school  ? 

What  is  it  generally,  in  new  studies,  that  really  interests  them? 

Can  the  interest  of  novelty  be  expected  to  last  long? 

What  is  the  example  of  a  well-directed  industry? 

What  is  an  abutment? 

Do  men  as  well  as  children  often  waste  their  strength  in  ill-directed 
efforts? 

What  do  you  think  of  the  boy  and  his  balls  ? 

Have  we  any  time  to  waste  in  this  way? 


HONESTY. 

.  It  is  wrong  to  take  the  property  of  others  without  their  con- 
sent, or  to  get  any  advantage  from  them  by  deception  or  con- 
cealment, or  any  false  contrivance.  He  who  does  this,  or  attempts 
to  do  it,  or  even  desires  to  do  it,  is  not  honest. 

PROPERTY  is  something  which  one  owns  and  has  a 
right  to  own ;  it  may  be  a  house,  a  farm,  a  ship,  a  box 
of  tools,  money  in  the  bank  or  in  the  pocket,  a  horse, 
a  dog,  a  penknife,  a  pencil,  a  watch,  an  apple,  a  book, 
or  anything  else. 

People  own  these  things  because  they  have  received 
them  as  presents,  or  have  inherited  them  from  friends 
who  have  died,  or  have  bought  them  with  their  own 
money,  or  have  earned  them  by  labor  or  by  good  be- 
havior. Everything  which  you  see  or  touch  belongs 
to  you  or  to  somebody  else.  If  it  belongs  to  you,  you 
have  the  right  to  do  what  you  please  with  it,  provided 
you  do  not  abuse  it :  if  it  belongs  to  somebody  else, 
you  have  no  right  to  it  whatever. 

Property  may  be  disposed  of,  or  may  be  got  rid  of,  by 
giving  it  away,  by  trading  with  it,  that  is,  by  giving  one 
thing  for  another,  by  selling  it  for  money,  by  wasting  it 
in  bad  living,  or  by  actually  destroying  it. 

The  grossest  form  of  dishonesty  is  stealing  —  taking 
the  property  of  another  without  his  knowledge  and  con- 
sent—  a  sin  which  is  and  must  be  severely  condemned 


HONESTY.  23 

and  punished.  Some  people  are  constantly  watching  for 
opportunities  to  steal.  They  are  thieves,  and  are  feared 
and  abhorred  by  all.  When  one  of  them  steals  some- 
thing, the  whole  community  is  interested  in  detecting 
him,  and  he  is  hunted  by  the  officers  of  justice  till  he  is 
taken,  convicted  and  sent  to  prison.  He  is  the  common 
enemy  of  mankind. 

Another  class  of  dishonest  acts  are  frauds.  Defraud- 
ing is  cheating.  There  are  many  people  who  will  not 
steal,  being  afraid  of  the  prison,  and  yet  they  will  be 
guilty  of  dishonesty  by  defrauding  those  who  deal  with 
them.  Though  these  people  may  be  very  secret  and 
careful  in  their  frauds,  their  characters  gradually  become 
known  :  they  are  suspected  and  shunned,  and  they  can 
never  enjoy  their  ill-gotten  gains.  Whatever  comes  by 
dishonesty  brings  a  sting  with  it  which  destroys  the 
pleasure  of  having  it.  It  is  far  better  to  be  perfectly 
honest,  for  then  our  consciences  will  be  at  rest :  we  can 
meet  every  one  without  misgiving  or  fear,  and  whatever 
we  have,  we  can  enjoy,  —  feeling  that  it  is  entirely  our 
own.  Perfect  honesty  means  several  things. 
,  i.  An  honest  boy  will  not  take  any  property  which 
belongs  to  other  persons  without  their  full  consent,  either 
expressed  or  understood.  There  are  many  ways  in  which 
property  is  exposed,  and  must  be  exposed,  and  those  who 
are  dishonest  can  take  it  if  they  choose.  Property  is 
exposed  in  families,  which  children  may  take.  Parents 
are  not  generally  suspicious  of  their  own  children,  and 
do  not  always  watch  them  very  closely  to  prevent  their 
taking  without  leave  what  they  like.  And  sometimes 
children  persuade  themselves  that  to  take  money,  or 
fruit,  or  anything  else,  from  their  parents,  is  not  so 


24  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

wicked  as  it  would  be  to  take  it  from  other  persons. 
But  it  certainly  is  as  wicked  ;  in  fact,  in  one  respect  it 
is  more  so ;  for  to  the  guilt  of  theft  is  added  the  guilt 
of  ingratitude  and  treachery.  Is  it  any  the  less  wicked 
to  steal  from  a  benefactor  and  friend,  than  to  steal  from 
a  stranger  ?  Our  deceitful  hearts  always  lead  us  to 
excuse  ourselves  for  our  own  particular  sins ;  but  con- 
science cannot  be  entirely  silenced  in  respect  to  this.  It 
warns  and  remonstrates  very  loudly  when  the  guilty 
child  is  going  secretly  to  the  forbidden  drawer  or  closet. 
It  destroys  his  peace  of  mind,  it  makes  him  afraid  to 
meet  the  eye  of  his  father  or  mother,  and  it  punishes 
him  with  its  painful  sting  long  after  the  pleasure  is  over, 
which  his  dishonesty  secured  for  him. 
.  2.  A  boy  who  is  honest  will  not  take  advantage  of 
another  person  by  stealth  or  deception.  Such  a  boy 
once  asked  a  gentleman  to  let  him  ride  his  horse  a  little 
way ;  and  he  was  told  he  might  ride  him  to  the  stream, 
which  was  about  a  half-mile  off,  and  let  him  drink.  The 
boy  rode  to  the  stream,  and  there  he  found  another  and 
larger  boy  on  another  horse,  who  asked  him  to  ride  a 
little  farther  down  the  road,  saying  that  the  owner  of  the 
horse  would  never  know  it.  The  younger  boy  would  not 
go.  He  had  an  instinctive  feeling  that  it  would  be 
wrong.  And  it  would  have  been  wrong.  It  would 
have  been  dishonest.  He  would  have  taken  something 
by  stealth  and  deception,  without  the  owner's  consent. 
What  was  it  that  he  would  have  taken  ?  Why,  the  use 
of  the  horse  for  a  longer  period  than  he  had  obtained 
leave  to  use  him.  The  pleasure  of  a  ride  as  far  as  the 
stream  he  could  have  honestly ;  but  if  he  had  tried  to 
extend  the  pleasure  any  farther,  it  would  have  been 
pleasure  dishonestly  gained, 


HONESTY.  25 

A  man  hires  a  horse  to  go  on  a  journey  of  twenty 
miles,  and  then  at  the  end  of  that  journey  goes  on  ten 
miles  farther,  intending  to  say  nothing  about  it  when 
he  returned.  He  is  not  honest.  He  would  save  a  little 
money,  but  he  would  lose  his  peace  of  mind.  We  must 
not  only  not  steal  property  itself,  but  we  must  not  steal 
the  use  of  property,  nor  take  it  in  any  way  without  the 
owner's  consent,  either  expressed  or  implied ;  for  the 
owner  has  as  good  a  right  to  the  use  of  his  property 
as  he  has  to  the  property  itself ;  and  to  deprive  him  of 
one  by  stealth  or  deception  is  as  truly  dishonest  as  to 
deprive  him  of  the  other.  There  is  a  difference  in  the 
degree  of  guilt.  It  is  more  dishonest  to  take  a  thing 
altogether  than  it  is  to  take  the  use  of  it  without  the 
owner's  consent ;  but  both  sins  are  the  same  in  kind. 

Some  street-cars  have  drivers,  but  not  conductors. 
A  boy  gets  on  the  back  platform  to  ride  without  paying. 
He  clings  to  the  car  until  the  driver  comes  back  to  send 
him  off.  The  boy  steps  off  until  the  driver  goes  back 
to  his  horses,  and  then  gets  on  again.  When  asked 
why  he  does  it,  he  says  it  is  "good  fun."  But  this  boy 
is  really  trying  to  steal  a  ride — and  he  is  beginning 
to  steal. 

Sometimes  it  is  right  to  take  what  belongs  to  another 
without  the  owner's  expressed  consent.  The  consent 
may  be  implied  or  taken  for  granted.  If  you  are  riding 
along  a  farm  in  the  country,  where  there  are  wild  rasp- 
berry bushes,  it  would  be  right  for  you  to  gather  as 
many  raspberries  as  you  wish  without  asking  the  con- 
sent of  the  owner  of  the  land.  The  reason  is,  it  is  so 
universally  understood  that  any  person  may  gather  wild 
raspberries,  that  the  owner's  consent,  though  it  has  not 


26  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

been  expressed  in  words,  is  implied.  You  have  good 
reason  to  know  that  the  owner  would  have  no  objection. 
If  you  were  spending  some  days  on  a  visit  at  a  friend's 
house,  and  your  friend  had  gone  out  one  morning,  and 
had  left  you  alone  in  the  house,  and  if  you  wished  to 
write  a  letter  home,  and  you  were  to  take  out  a  sheet 
of  paper  from  a  drawer  and  write  your  letter  and  send 
it  away,  it  would  not  be  dishonest.  True,  you  would 
have  taken  the  property  of  another  person  without  any 
expressed  consent,  but  still  consent  would  have  been 
implied.  You  might  know  that  your  friend  would  be 
perfectly  willing  that  you  should  have  the  paper ;  and 
if  she  were  to  return  while  you  were  writing  the  letter, 
you  would  not  feel  guilty  and  afraid,  and  attempt  to 
hide  the  paper  away  as  if  you  had  done  something 
wrong. 

In  these  instances  the  value  of  the  property  is  very 
small.  But  upon  the  same  principles,  property  of  a 
greater  value  may  be  taken  without  any  dishonesty,  if 
the  circumstances  are  such  that  we  are  perfectly  sure  we 
would  have  the  owner's  implied  consent.  A  man  once 
went  into  a  house  and  took  some  provisions  while  the 
family  was  away,  without  doing  any  wrong.  You  wonder 
how  this  could  be.  The  case  was  this  :  he  was  travel- 
ling through  the  woods  and  got  lost.  After  wandering 
about  a  long  time,  he  came  at  last  upon  a  farm-house  in 
a  solitary  place.  The  family  had  gone  into  the  field,  far 
away  from  the  house.  Now,  he  knew  that  if  the  farmer 
had  been  at  home,  he  would  willingly  have  given  him 
some  food,  as  he  was  almost  exhausted  by  fatigiys, 
hunger  and  anxiety.  So  he  opened  the  door  and  found 
something  to  eat ;  and  then  when  refreshed  a  little  by 


HONESTY.  27 

food  and  rest,  he  went  off  into  the  fields  to  find  the 
farmer,  and  offered  to  pay  him.  But  the  farmer  would 
not  take  any  pay,  saying  if  he  had  been  at  home  he 
would  have  given  him  food.  So  if  a  man  were  wrecked 
with  the  ship  he  sailed  in,  upon  a  desert  island,  and  he 
were  the  only  one  saved,  he  might  take  all  the  cargo 
of  the  ship  and  use  it  for  his  own  benefit. 

The  dishonesty  of  an  act  does  not  consist  merely  in 
our  taking  property  that  does  not  belong  to  us,  nor 
does  it  depend  upon  the  value  of  the  property ;  it 
depends  upon  our  state  of  mind.  Unless  we  are  per- 
fectly sure  that  the  owner  would  have  no  objection 
to  our  taking  it,  or  if  we  should  feel  a  little  guilty 
should  he  come  unexpectedly  and  find  us  taking  it,  or 
if  we  detect  in  ourselves  a  secret  wish  to  conceal  from 
him  that  we  have  taken  it, — then  we  are  dishonest, 
no  matter  how  small  the  value  of  the  article  may  be. 
But  if  we  are  sure  we  have  the  consent  of  the  owner, 
either  expressed  or  implied,  we  are  not  dishonest,  no 
matter  how  great  the  value  of  the  article  may  be. 

When  it  is  thus  distinctly  explained  to  young  people 
that  it  is  sometimes  right  to  take  the  owner's  consent 
for  granted,  they  must  not  presume  the  consent  to  be 
implied  when  they  have  no  right  to  do  so.  It  will  not 
do  to  say,  "  Oh,  I  think  he  will  let  us  have  it,"  and 
then  take  things,  unless  we  are  sure  the  owner  has  no 
objection  to  our  taking  them.  Nor  is  it  enough  to  know 
that  he  would  let  you  have  it  if  you  asked  for  it.  You 
must  know  that  he  would  be  willing  to  let  you  have  it 
without  asking  for  it.  A  man  who  had  a  large  orchard 
would,  no  doubt,  give  apples  to  boys  if  they  asked  him ; 
but  it  does  not  follow  that  he  would  be  willing  that  boys 


28  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

should  take  apples  from  his  orchard  without  asking. 
We  must  never  take  what  belongs  to  another,  unless  we 
are  quite  sure  he  would  be  perfectly  willing  for  us  to 
take  it  without  permission  ;  as,  for  instance,  raspberries 
from  his  fields,  or  wild  flowers  from  his  meadow,  or  a 
drink  of  water  from  his  well.  These  things  are  all  his 
property.  But  we  may  take  them  without  leave  because 
it  is  absolutely  certain,  not  only  that  he  would  be  will- 
ing to  give  them  to  us,  but  also  that  he  would  not  even 
wish  us  to  ask  him  for  them.  But  when,  for  any  reason 
whatever,  we  have  any  cause  to  doubt  the  owner's  con- 
sent, then  the  property  must  not  be  taken,  whether  its 
value  is  great  or  small ;  as,  if  instead  of  wild  raspberries 
from  the  farmer's  field,  it  is  strawberries  from  his  garden 
which  boys  wish  to  gather,  though  the  value  of  the  fruit 
is  nearly  the  same,  it  may  be  very  right  to  take  the  wild 
raspberries,  and  yet  very  wrong  to  take  the  strawberries 
from  his  garden. 

,  3.  An  honest  boy  will  be  honest  in  fulfilling  his 
agreements.  To  fail  of  fulfilling  an  agreement,  openly 
and  avowedly,  is  unjust.  To  contrive  some  artful  or 
secret  way  of  evading  what  we  agreed  to  do,  is  dis- 
honest. There  are  many  temptations  to  dishonesty  in 
fulfilling  agreements  for  work  ;  for  the  man  who  engages 
the  workman  to  do  it,  very  seldom  knows  exactly  how 
it  ought  to  be  done.  He  contracts,  perhaps,  with  a 
carpenter  to  build  him  a  house,  and  he  does  not  know 
himself  what  kind  of  materials  ought  to  be  used  for  all 
the  various  parts,  nor  how  the  work  ought  to  be  exe- 
cuted. It  is  so  with  the  painter,  the  mason,  the  black- 
smith, and  all  the  other  trades.  Those  who  work  at 
them  can,  in  fulfilling  their  contracts,  take  advantage  of 


HONESTY.  29 

their  employer's  imperfect  acquaintance  with  the  details 
of  the  work.  But  it  is  dishonest  to  do  so.  A  contractor 
or  builder  ought  to  be  as  faithful  as  if  all  the  world 
understood  every  particular  of  his  work,  and  could 
judge  of  its  thoroughness  as  well  as  himself.  An  honest 
mechanic  will  do  so.  He  may  at  first  not  get  so  great 
a  profit,  but  he  enjoys  a  high  satisfaction  ;  his  mind  is 
at  peace,  and  he  will  secure  a  fine  reputation ;  while  the 
dishonest  workman,  for  the  sake  of  a  little  greater  gain, 
wounds  his  own  spirit,  and  arouses  conscience  to  com- 
plaints and  murmurings  and  bitter  reproaches,  and  after 
a  time  nobody  will  trust  him. 

4.  An  honest  boy  is  honest  in  regard  to  property 
which  some  other  person  has  lost,  and  which  he  has 
found,  and  he  endeavors  to  restore  it  to  the  true  owner. 
A  dishonest  boy  does  not  wish  to  find  the  true  owner 
and  restore  it  to  him.  He  wishes  to  secure  it  to  him- 
self. On  some  dangerous  coasts  where  vessels  are 
liable  to  be  wrecked,  men  sometimes  go  and  live  in  huts 
on  the  beach,  to  be  ready  to  plunder  the  cargoes  and 
the  passengers,  as  they  are  driven  ashore  by  the  waves. 
And  sometimes  they  hold  out  false  lights  to  deceive  the 
sailors.  They  have  no  compassion  for  the  unhappy  men 
who  barely  escape  a  terrible  death,  and  lose  nearly  all 
they  have.  They  only  wish  to  get  what  is  left  for  them- 
selves. So  they  leave  the  suffering  people  to  perish 
upon  the  sand,  while  they  rob  the  passengers  and  carry 
away  whatever  of  the  cargo  they  can  find.  The  honest 
man  and  honest  boy  think  of  the  losers  when  they  find 
what  is  lost,  and  do  all  they  can  to  restore  the  property 
to  the  owner. 


30  A    PRIMER   OF    ETHICS. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  honesty? 

What  is  property? 

Mention  some  things  which  we  Call  property. 

How  may  we  get  property? 

How  may  we  lose  it? 

What  are  we  bound  to  do  with  property? 

What  is  the  grossest  act  of  dishonesty? 

How  are  thieves  universally  regarded  among  men  ? 

What  is  the  second  class  of  dishonest  acts  called  ? 

Is  it  possible  to  avoid  having  property  exposed,  so  that  persons 
may  take  it  dishonestly  if  they  will  ? 

Is  property  exposed  before  children  generally?     How? 

Do  children  generally  think  it  as  wi,cked  to  take  things  from  their 
parents  as  it  would  be  to  steal  from  other  people? 

Is  there  any  reason  why  it  should  be  considered  more  wicked? 

Is  it  wrong  to  gain  any  advantage  or  pleasure  at  the  expense  of 
other  people,  without  their  consent,  or  to  take  their  property? 

Describe  the  case  of  the  boy  going  to  ride  the  horse  to  water. 

How  can  one  steal  the  use  of  property? 

Describe  the  case  of  the  man  who  hires  a  horse  to  go  twenty  miles. 

What  is  a  boy  in  danger  of  becoming,  who  tries  to  ride  on  a  car 
without  paying? 

What  is  the  meaning  of  expressed  consent? 

What  is  the  meaning  of  implied  consent? 

Can  you  mention  any  case  where  a  person  would  have  an  implied 
consent? 

What  great  danger  are  children  exposed  to  in  regard  to  this 
subject  ? 

In  what  way  are  mechanics  sometimes  dishonest  in  respect  to 
their  work  ? 

What  does  honesty  require  of  us  when  we  find  things  that  have 
been  lost? 


FIDELITY. 

We  must  not  neglect  nor  slight  the  duties  we  owe  to  ourselves 
or  others ;  but  we  must  do  them  earnestly  and  carefully.  This  is 
faithfulness  or  fidelity. 

THERE. is  a  difference  between  honesty  and  faithful- 
ness which  may  be  illustrated  thus :  A  boy  is  sent  with 
a  basket  of  fruit,  to  give  to  a  sick  person  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. An  honest  boy  will  not  take  any  of  the  fruit 
himself,  but  will  deliver  it  safely.  But  suppose,  when 
he  has  gone  a  little  way,  he  should  see  some  other  boys 
playing,  and  should  put  his  basket  down  and  stop  to 
play  with  them;  he  would  be  unfaithful.  He  would 
not  be  performing  his  duty  in  a  thorough  and  careful 
manner. 

S  Unfaithfulness  often  leads  to  dishonesty.  If  a  boy 
slights  or  neglects  duty  from  thoughtlessness,  or  forget- 
fulness,  or  want  of  care,  he  is  merely  unfaithful.  If  he 
does  so  with  a  secret  design  to  deceive  and  defraud,  he 
is  unfaithful,  and  dishonest  too. 

The  workmen  who  attempt  to  defraud  their  employers 
by  doing  their  work  in  an  imperfect  and  insufficient 
manner  are  examples  of  this.  They  are  unfaithful  in 
their  work,  and  dishonest  to  their  employers. 

The  distinction  may  be  shown,  too,  in  respect  to 
promises.  If  we  make  any  promise,  secretly  intending, 
when  we  promise,  that  we  will  not  perform  it,  or  that 
we  will  not  perform  it  well,  we  are  dishonest.  Even  if 

31 


32  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

we  afterwards  do  fulfil  the  promise  perfectly,  we  were 
dishonest  in  making  it.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  we 
make  it  in  good  faith,  —  that  is,  honestly  intending  to 
keep  it,  —  and  afterward  from  carelessness  or  design, 
neglect  the  fulfilment,  we  are  unfaithful.  Once  a  boy 
promised  his  sister  that  if  she  would  give  him  a  certain 
picture-book,  he  would  make  her  a  boat,  to  sail  on  the 
pond.  She  understood  him  to  mean  a  wooden  boat 
with  masts  and  sails ;  and  he  intended  that  she  should 
understand  him  so.  But  he  meant  secretly  to  make  her 
only  a  paper  boat,  which  would  be  good  for  nothing ; 
for  as  soon  as  it  was  set  afloat,  it  would  begin  to  soak 
up  the  water,  and  very  soon  turn  over  or  sink.  He  was 
dishonest  in  making  his  promise.  Another  boy,  how- 
ever, who  promised  his  sister  a  boat,  really  intended  to 
make  one ;  but  the  time  passed  away  and  he  did  not 
do  it ;  other  things  interested  him  ;  and,  though  his 
sister  asked  him  for  her  boat  many  times,  he  never 
made  it.  This  boy  was  honest  in  making  his  promise, 
but  unfaithful  in  keeping  it. 

The  temptation  to  unfaithfulness  is  greatest  in  those 
duties  or  services  which  are  somewhat  indefinite  in  their 
nature;  and  it  is  in  these  that  we  ought  to  be  particu- 
larly on  our  guard.  If  a  man  agreed  to  dig  a  cellar  of  a 
certain  size,  and  to  have  it  done  on  a  certain  day,  the 
engagement  would  be  very  distinct  and  well  defined. 
If,  however,  he  were  to  undertake  to  build  a  dam  across 
a  stream  sufficient  for  a  mill,  the  engagement  would  be 
more  indefinite  and  vague ;  and  the  temptation  to  be 
unfaithful  would  be  much  greater  in  this  last  case  than 
in  the  other ;  because  there  are  many  ways  of  building 
a  dam,  which  may  have  different  degrees  of  strength 


FIDELITY.  33 

and  durability ;  and  the  man,  wishing  to  do  the  work 
with  as  little  labor  and  expense  as  possible,  would  be 
very  likely  to  think  the  dam  strong  when  it  was  really 
not  so.  And  then,  his  unfaithfulness  could  not  be  so 
easily  and  clearly  proved  against  him  in  this  case  as  in 
the  other.  So,  if  a  teacher  should  give  a  boy,  for  a  les- 
son, four  examples  in  arithmetic  to  do,  and  should  say 
that  when  he  had  got  the  answers  which  are  given  in 
the  book,  he  might  go  out  to  play,  it  would  be  a  very 
definite  task;  and  the  temptation  to  unfaithfulness 
would  be  comparatively  small.  But  if  he  were  to  give 
him  for  his  lesson  two  pages  of  a  book,  and  require  him 
to  choose  out  and  study  all  the  difficult  words  in  it,  as  a 
spelling  lesson,  this  would  be  indefinite  and  vague ; 
because  it  is  very  uncertain,  first,  how  many  of  the 
words  the  boy  would  have  to  consider  as  difficult  words  ; 
and  secondly,  how  much  he  ought  to  study  them.  If 
the  boy  was  in  haste  to  go  out  to  play,  he  would  be 
much  more  likely  to  slight  this  lesson  than  the  other 
one.  It  is  best,  therefore,  that  all  commands,  and  all 
agreements  and  contracts,  should  be  well  defined,  and 
clearly  and  distinctly  expressed.  Thus  the  tempta- 
tion to  unfaithfulness  is  lessened.  Young  people  are 
much  exposed  to  the  danger  of  being  unfaithful.  It 
requires,  sometimes,  much  firmness  and  self-denial  to 
be  careful  and  persevering  and  thorough  in  what  we 
do,  when  there  is  nobody  to  see  whether  we  are  so  or 
not ;  and  then  children  are  not  often  aware  how.  great 
the  secret  satisfaction  is,  which  we  feel  when  faith- 
ful work  is  done.  A  boy  who  is  studying  at  his  desk 
sometimes  finds  the  temptation  to  be  idle  and  to  play 
very  great,  if  the  teacher  is  occupied  with  other  duties ; 


34  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

but  yet,  if  he  studies  faithfully,  whether  he  is  observed 
or  not,  he  will  have  peace  and  happiness,  when  the 
duties  of  the  day  are  done,  which  the  idle  and  unfaith- 
ful never  enjoy. 

There  is  a  nobleness  in  the  character  of  the  boy  who 
is  strictly  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  If  he 
goes  on  steadily  and  firmly,  always  the  same,  whether 
he  is  observed  by  others  or  not,  it  shows  that  he  is  gov- 
erned by  right  principles,  which  make  him  worthy  of 
confidence.  The  farmer's  boy,  who  will  work  just  as 
industriously  whether  his  father  is  with  him  in  the  field 
or  not,  the  trusty  messenger,  who  is  as  careful  of  the 
property  committed  to  him  as  he  would  be  of  his  own, 
are  characters  that  are  respected  and  valued  by  all ; 
while  he  who  does  his  duty  only  so  long  as  he  is 
watched,  and  when  left  to  himself  has  no  principle  to 
sustain  him,  is  suspected  and  disliked  as  soon  as  his 
character  becomes  known. 

Boys  who  acquire  a  character  for  fidelity  enjoy  many 
privileges  and  advantages  which  others  do  not.  In  fact, 
very  many  of  the  privations  and  restraints  which  most 
boys  have  to  bear  are  occasioned  by  the  fact  that  they 
cannot  be  trusted.  They  are  not  allowed  to  take  a 
book  or  tool  which  they  want,  because  they  cannot  be 
depended  upon  to  use  it  carefully  and  to  bring  it  back 
They  are  often  kept  at  home  when  they  want  to  go  out, 
because  they  cannot  be  trusted  to  come  back  at  the 
proper  time.  And  so,  in  many  ways,  they  suffer  incon- 
venience and  privation  just  because  they  are  not  faithful, 
and  cannot  be  depended  upon.  A  boy  —  really  faithful 
—  would  so  gain  the  confidence  of  his  parents  and  teach- 
ers, that  his  requests  would  very  seldom  be  refused. 


FIDELITY.  35 

The  advantages  of  a  character  for  fidelity  become 
still  greater  when  the  child  grows  up  to  be  a  man.  The 
most  important  and  desirable  situations  and  employ- 
ments in  life  are  such  as  require  that  those  who  are 
appointed  to  them  should  be  trustworthy.  Who  would 
give  the  command  of  a  ship,  or  the  charge  of  a  manu- 
factory, or  the  custody  of  money,  or  the  building  of  a 
house,  to  men  who  could  only  be  depended  upon  so 
long  as  they  are  watched  ?  Unfaithful  men  are  shunned, 
so  far  as  their  characters  are  known  ;  while  the  faithful 
are  sought  for  and  prized,  and  through  the  whole  of  life, 
in  childhood  and  manhood,  they  are  far  more  prosper- 
ous and  happy.  A  character  for  fidelity  is  invaluable  ; 
and  the  way  to  establish  a  character  for  faithfulness  is 
to  be  faithful  in  reality. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  the  difference  between  honesty  and  faithfulness? 

Is  it  dishonest  or  unfaithful  to  neglect  a  duty  from  thoughtlessness? 

What  is  said  about  promises? 

Can  a  person  be  honest  in  making  a  promise  and  yet  unfaithful  in 
keeping  it? 

Can  he  be  dishonest  in  making  it  and  yet  faithful  in  keeping  it? 

Relate  the  story  of  the  boy  who  promised  his  sister  a  boat. 

In  what  kind  of  duties  is  the  temptation  to  unfaithfulness  greatest? 

What  example  is  given  of  an  engagement  that  would  be  indefinite? 

In  which  case  would  the  temptation  to  unfaithfulness  be  the 
greater? 

What  examples  are  given  of  definite  and  indefinite  lessons? 

Are  children  peculiarly  exposed  to  the  danger  of  being  unfaithful? 

Do  they  gain  a  momentary  pleasure  by  being  unfaithful  ? 

Do  they  do  themselves  any  injury  by  it?     What  injury? 

What  advantages  would  a  child  enjoy  who  was  known  to  be 
faithful? 

Of  what  advantage  is  a  character  for  strict  fidelity  to  a  man  ? 


JUSTICE. 

Justice  requires  that  every  person  should  enjoy  all  the  priv- 
ileges and  rights  that  are  his  due  ;  and  we  must  not  do  wrong  to 
any  one,  especially  to  the  weak  and  defenceless :  nor  must  we 
encourage  wrong-doing  by  others. 

ONE  may  injure  another  without  being  unjust  to  him; 
for  injustice  is  that  particular  kind  of  injury  to  any  one 
which  consists  in  violating  his  rights.  A  captain  of  a 
ship  engages  a  boy  to  go  with  him  to  sea,  to  be  his 
cabin-boy,  and  promises  not  only  to  take  good  care  of 
him,  but  that  he  shall  not  have  any  severe  or  dangerous 
duties  to  perform.  When  they  are  out  at  sea,  and  the 
boy  is  entirely  in  the  captain's  power,  he  sends  him 
away  from  the  cabin,  into  the  forecastle,  with  the  sail- 
ors, some  of  whom  are  bad  men,  and  makes  him  go 
aloft,  and  out  on  the  spars,  in  the  dark  and  stormy  nights. 
This  is  unjust,  for  the  boy  has  a  right  to  different  treat- 
ment ;  and  the  captain  in  treating  him  in  such  a  way  is 
depriving  him  of  his  rights  ;  and  so~  is  unjust  to  the  boy. 

But  if,  instead  of  taking  the  boy  from  the  shore,  and 
agreeing  to  take  care  of  him,  he  had  found  him  at  sea, 
upon  a  wrecked  vessel,  just  ready  to  perish,  and  had 
taken  him  on  board  his  own  ship,  then  such  treatment 
would  not  be  strictly  called  unjust.  It  might  be  harsh 
or  cruel  and  it  might  be  very  wrong  ;  but  it  would  not 
be  that  particular  kind  of  wrong  which  is  called  injustice, 
36 


JUSTICE.  37 

because  the  boy  in  this  case  would  not  have  any  partic- 
ular rights  on  board  the  captain's  ship.  There  would 
have  been  no  agreement  made  with  him  ;  and  therefore 
the  captain,  in  treating  him  as  he  did  all  the  other  sail- 
ors, would  not  violate  any  of  his  rights. 

A  boy  is  playing  with  his  ball  in  a  field,  and  it  acci- 
dentally gets  lodged  in  a  tree,  and  he  asks  a  larger  boy  to 
climb  up  and  get  it  for  him.  It  is  not  unjust  for  the 
larger  boy  to  refuse  to  go.  He  did  not  lose  the  ball, 
and  the  first  boy  has  no  right  to  call  upon  him  to  go  and 
get  it.  It  might  be  that  he  ought  to  go,  from  a  feeling 
of  kindness  and  good  will,  still  he  would  violate  none  of 
the  first  boy's  rights  in  refusing  ;  and  therefore,  he 
could  not  be  said  to  be  unjust. 

But  if  the  larger  boy  had  been  playing  with  the  ball, 
and  had  lost  it  in  the  tree,  then  he  would  be  unjust  in 
refusing  to  climb  up  and  get  it ;  for  the  little  boy  would 
have  a  right  to  require  that  whoever  lost  his  ball  should 
get  it  for  him  again,  or  at  least  try  to  get  it.  If,  there- 
fore, the  larger  boy  should  go  away,  and  leave  it  there, 
he  would  be  guilty  of  injustice. 

Persons  have  a  variety  of  rights,  and  there  are  many 
ways  by  which  they  may  be  violated.  Very  few  of  these 
ways  can  now  be  particularly  explained.  We  ought  to 
have  a  strong  sense  of  justice  in  our  hearts,  as  a  set- 
tled principle,  and  then  whatever  the  particular  circum- 
stances may  be,  we  shall  be  ready  and  willing  to  act 
justly.  Those  who  have  not  such  a  settled  principle 
are  continually  encroaching  upon  the  rights  of  those 
who  are  smaller  or  weaker  than  themselves,  or  who  are 
in  any  way  in  their  power.  There  are  many  ways  in 
which  this  injustice  may  appear, 


38  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

i.  Young  people  may  be  unjust  in  what  they  do. 
They  may  by  some  act  deprive  a  brother  or  playmate 
of  a  right  or  an  enjoyment  which  was  properly  his,  or 
impose  upon  him  some  duty  or  labor  which  is  more  than 
his  share.  A  boy  was  once  sent  by  his  father  to  carry 
a  heavy  basket  to  another  house.  His  little  brother 
was  to  go  with  him  to  help  him.  They  put  a  pole  under 
the  handle  of  the  basket,  and  then  they  took  hold  of  the 
pole,  one  at  each  end.  While  they  were  getting  it 
ready,  the  elder  boy  said  to  himself,  "  My  little  brother 
don't  understand  about  placing  the  pole.  If  the  handle 
of  the  basket  comes  just  across  the  middle  of  it,  then  it 
will  be  just  as  heavy  for  him  as  for  me.  But  i£  I  slip  the 
basket  over  nearer  to  him,  his  end  will  be  heavy,  and 
mine  will  be  light  ;  he  will  carry  more  than  half  of  the 
load,  while  I  carry  but  little  ;  and  he  will  not  know  that 
there  is  any  difference,  for  he  does  not  understand  about 
placing  the  pole.  But  yet  I  will  not  do  so.  I  should 
be  unjust  if  I  were  to  do  so ;  and  I  will  not  be  unjust." 
Then  the  elder  slipped  the  basket  over  nearer  to  his 
side  of  the  pole ;  and  so  he  had  to  carry  more  than  half. 
Thus  he  had  a  heavier  load  ;  but  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  fe'eling  that  he  was  not  unjust ;  and  that  more  than 
made  it  up  to  him. 

One  boy  takes  a  plaything  from  another  and  will  not 
give  it  to  him  when  he  asks  for  it.  He  is  unjust.  He 
violates  his  rights.  Every  one  has  a  right  to  his  own 
property  at  all  times.  A  boy  knocks  another's  ball 
over  a  fence  or  wall,  or  trundles  his  hoop  off  down  the 
street,  or  sets  his  little  boat  adrift  upon  the  water.  He 
is  unjust.  He  is  violating  the  other's  rights.  It  is  the 
same  spirit  which  makes  men  oppressors  and  tyrants. 
And  yet  such  cases  are  very  common. 


JUSTICE.  39 

A  large  boy  borrows  a  ball  from  a  little  boy  upon  the 
playground,  and  then  keeps  it  after  the  owner  begs  him 
to  give  it  back  to  him.  When  you  remonstrate  with 
the  large  boy  for  doing  so,  he  says,  in  excuse,  "  I  was 
not  going  to  keep  his  ball ;  I  was  going  to  give  it  to 
him  again."  He  admits  that  it  would  be  very  wrong  to 
take  away  the  ball,  and  keep  it  for  his  own  use,  but 
seems  to  think  it  is  not  wrong  to  keep  it  a  little  while. 
But  it  certainly  is  wrong.  The  wrong  is  of  the  same 
kind,  and  differs  only  in  degree,  whether  you  take  away 
a  person's  property  and  keep  it  from  him  one  hour  or 
keep  it  forever.  So  long  as  you  do  keep  it,  after  you 
know  he  wishes  it  to  be  returned,  you  are  guilty  of 
taking  what  belongs  to  another.  You  violate  his  rights. 
It  is  unjust  ;  it  is  oppressive. 

2.  Young  people  may  be  unjust  in  what  they  say. 
When  we  find  fault  with  and  condemn  the  absent,  with- 
out hearing  or  considering  what  they  might  say  in 
defence  of  themselves,  we  are  unjust.  When  we  are 
offended  with  a  companion,  and  with  angry  words  tell 
other  persons  of  the  wrong  he  has  done,  while  we  con- 
ceal or  pass  over  slightly  the  wrong  which  we  did  our- 
selves, we  are  unjust.  When  we  complain  to  a  parent 
or  teacher  of  some  injury  which  a  playmate  has  done  us, 
while  we  say  nothing  about  the  provocation  we  gave 
him  or  the  angry  words  we  used,  we  are  unjust.  He 
has  a  right  to  claim  that,  if  we  tell  the  story  at  all,  we 
shall  tell  it  as  it  was,  and  not  magnify  his  guilt  and  pass 
lightly  over  our  own.  If,  therefore,  we  do  not  state  the 
case  fairly  and  impartially,  we  violate  his  rights,  and  do 
him  injustice. 

We  may  be  unjust  in  what  we  say  to  others  as  well 


4O  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

as  in  what  we  say  of  them.  We  may  get  angry  with 
them  without  a  cause,  and  so  reproach  them  and  hurt 
their  feelings  when  they  have  not  done  any  wrong.  A 
boy  asked  his  playmate  to  hold  his  kite  for  him  till  the 
breeze  should  come,  and  then  toss  it  up,  while  he  stood 
at  a  little  distance  with  the  string.  His  playmate  took 
the  kite,  and  when  the  breeze  came  and  the  other  boy 
said,  "Now,"  he  tossed  it  up.  But  the  tail  got  twirled 
somehow  or  other  around  his  body  and  was  broken  off ; 
the  kite  rose  a  little  way,  and  then,  having  lost  its 
counterpoise,  dived  to  the  ground  and  broke  its  back- 
bone. The  boy  who  owned  the  kite  was  very  angry, 
and  reproached  the  other  bitterly.  He  was  unjust. 
The  breaking  of  the  kite  was  an  accident,  for  which  the 
boy  who  tossed  it  up  was  not  at  all  to  blame.  He  did  as 
well  as  he  could  ;  and  the  other  wounded  his  feelings 
by  his  harsh  language  and  was  guilty  of  great  injustice. 
It  is  exceedingly  common,  both  among  boys  and  men, 
for  persons  to  be  vexed  and  irritated  by  an  accident,  and 
then  to  do  great  injustice  to  those  who  are  innocently 
the  cause  of  it,  by  assailing  them  in  violent  and  angry 
language. 

3.  Young  people  can  do  injustice  by  their  thoughts. 
When  we  hear  complaints  or  accusations  against  any 
person,  and  readily  believe  them,  without  knowing  what 
the  accused  might  say  in  self-defence,  we  are  generally 
unjust.  Even  if  a  person  is  very  much  to  blame,  he  will 
generally  appear  less  to  blame,  when  we  understand  the 
case  fully,  than  he  did  after  we  had  only  heard  what  was 
said  against  him.  We  must  therefore  be  careful,  and 
not  judge  hastily ;  and  we  must  not,  even  in  our  minds, 


JUSTICE.  41 

condemn  the  absent  unheard.  We  should  not  like  to 
be  judged  and  condemned  thus ;  and  it  is  unjust  for  us 
to  form  opinions  in  this  way  about  others. 

Thus  there  are  many  ways  by  which  we  may  be  un- 
just ;  and  in  all  these  cases  the  injustice  may  be  delib- 
erate and  wilful,  or  it  may  arise  from  some  error  or 
bias  of  mind  of  which  we  are  not  conscious.  Two  boys 
determine  to  make  a  summer  house  in  the  garden,  but 
cannot  agree  upon  the  place  to  build  it,  and  they 
refer  it  to  their  sister  to  decide  which  is  the  better 
place,  and  the  older  boy  tells  her  secretly  that  he  will 
give  her  an  apple  if  she  decides  in  his  favor.  Now  if  she 
does  so,  while  yet  the  place  chosen  by  the  other  brother 
is  the  better,  she  is  guilty  of  deliberate,  intentional 
injustice.  She  knows  very  well  that  in  deciding  in 
favor  of  one  brother,  for  the  sake  of  the  apple,  she  is 
doing  injustice  to  the  other ;  so,  it  is  a  wilful  wrong. 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  no  bribe  is  offered,  and  if 
the  older  boy  has  been  generally  more  kind  to  her  so 
that  she  loves  him  better,  her  partiality  may  blind  her 
judgment,  so  that  she  may  decide  in  his  favor  without 
being  conscious  of  any  intentional  injustice  toward  the 
other.  Our  feelings  and  our  wishes  do  in  many  ways 
blind  our  minds  and  make  us  unjust.  This  is  wrong, 
though  it  is  not  deliberate  and  wilful  wrong.  We  ought 
to  watch  ourselves  more  carefully  and  be  on  our  guard 
so  as  not  to  be  led  astray  by  our  own  prejudices,  or 
by  the  representations  of  others.  This  kind  of  injus- 
tice is  therefore  wrong ;  though  deliberate  and  inten- 
tional injustice  is  much  more  criminal,  and  conscience 
is  generally  ready  to  make  it  known  to  us,  more  or  less 


42  A    PRIMER   OF    ETHICS. 

distinctly,  when  we  are  about  to  treat  our  companions  in 
an  unjust  and  oppressive  manner,  in  any  of  these  ways. 
We  are  often  under  a  great  temptation  to  be  unjust ; 
but  we  shall  always  promote  our  happiness,  as  well  as 
do  our  duty,  by  resisting  it.  It  is  true  that  we  can 
often  gain  something  by  violating  the  rights  of  our 
companions,  by  taking  away  some  of  their  enjoyments 
or  imposing  upon  them  more  than  their  share  of  incon- 
venience or  labor.  But  those  who  will  make  the  experi- 
ment will  find  that  the  satisfaction  and  happiness  of 
being  just,  are  far  greater  than  any  gain  we  can  pos- 
sibly derive  from  encroachments  upon  the  rights  of 
others. 

QUESTIONS. 

Are  all  kinds  of  injuries  to  be  considered  as  injustice? 

Relate  the  case  of  the  captain  and  the  cabin-boy. 

Would  this  be  injustice?     Why? 

Relate  the  other  part  of  the  supposition. 

Would  this  be  a  case  of  injustice,  strictly  speaking?     Why? 

How  is  this  illustrated  by  the  story  of  the  boys  and  the  ball? 

Are  there  many  ways  of  doing  injustice? 

Is  it  possible  to  describe  them  all,  and  make  rules  against  them? 

What  is  the  only  way  by  which  a  person  can  be  preserved  from 
doing  injustice? 

What  is  the  first  of  the  ways  mentioned  in  which  children  may 
be  unjust?  The  second?  The  third? 

Relate  the  story  of  the  boy  and  the  heavy  basket. 

Did  he  act  wisely  ? 

How  may  we  be  unjust  in  what  we  say? 

Do  you  recollect  the  story  told  to  illustrate  this? 

Was  the  boy  who  tossed  up  the  kite  in  fault? 

What  is  the  meaning  of  counterpoise  ? 

Do  you  think  it  is  common  for  boys  to  do  each  other  injustice  in 
such  ways  as  this? 


JUSTICE.  43 

How  can  we  be  unjust  in  our  thoughts  ? 
Is  all  injustice  deliberate  and  wilful  ? 
Can  a  person  be  unjust  and  yet  not  be  sensible  of  it? 
Relate  the  case  of  the  two  boys  who  referred  a  question  to  their 
sister. 

What  is  this  intended  to  show? 


POLITENESS. 

(>    In  school  —  at  work  —  at  play  —  at  home  —  abroad,  we  meet 
with  other  people ;  and  we  should  treat  them  kindly  —  not  give 
them  pain. 
This  conduct,  when  marked  by  good  manners,  is  politeness. 

•*•'  Politeness  is  to  do  and  say 
The  kindest  things  in  the  kindest  way." 

?  SOCIAL  customs  are  different  in  every  country,  but 
true  politeness  is  the  same  everywhere.  Politeness  is 
good  manners,  refinement  of  manners,  polish  or  ele- 
gance of  manners,  good  breeding.  It  is  pleasing  others 
by  kind  and  gentle  treatment,  by  anticipating  their  wants 
and  wishes,  and  by  carefully  avoiding  giving  them  pain. 

Let  us  think  of  politeness  as  controlling  our  behavior, 
^.t  home,  at   school,  in  the  street,  at  work,  in  the  cars 
or  steamboats  and  in  church. 

?  AT  HOME.     It  is  not  polite  to  interrupt  a  conversation 
^between  persons  older  than  yourself,  unless  you  have 
something  very  important  to  say.     It  is  not  good  man- 
ners. 

It  is  not  polite  to  choose  the  best  seat  in  the  room, 
or  at  the  table,  or  near  the  light  in  the  evening,  or 
near  the  heat  in  cold  weather. 

Say  "I    thank   you,"   not    "thanks,"   when   you  are 
helped  to  anything,  or  when  any  civility  or  kindness  is 
shown  you. 
44 


POLITENESS.  45 

It  is  not  polite  to  frown  or  sulk  or  "answer  back," 
when  you  are  reproved  for  some  neglect  or  offence. 

It  is  not  polite  to  complain  of  the  quality  or  the  quan- 
tity of  the  food,  which  is  set  before  you. 

AT  SCHOOL.  Always  salute  your  teacher  distinctly 
"when  you  enter  the  schoolroom.  Do  the  same  to  your 
classmates,  even  if  it  be  only  with  a  bow  or  a  smile. 

A  well-bred  scholar  will  give  the  teacher  as  little 
trouble  as  possible. 

Treat  your  teachers  always  as  you  would  like  to  be 
treated,  and  ought  to  be  treated,  if  you  were  a  teacher. 

If  your  teacher  seems  to  be  harsh  or  partial,  do  not 
take  it  for  granted  that  he  is  so ;  possibly  you  are  mis- 
taken. Wait  a  while. 

If  there  are  brighter  scholars  in  the  class  than  you, 
be  proud  of  them,  praise  them ;  do  not  dislike  them ; 
try  by  all  fair  means  to  excel  them. 

IN  THE  STREET.  You  have  a  perfect  right  to  your 
share  of  the  sidewalk,  but  to  no  more  than  your  share. 
You  have  no  right  to  stand  in  a  pathway  anywhere,  so 
that  the  people  who  would  pass  must  go  around  you. 
Always  give  choice  of  way  to  women,  and  to  men  who 
are  older  than  yourself. 

Never  smoke  a  pipe,  a  cigar,  or  a  cigarette  in  the 
street.  It  denies  the  air.  It  is  not  polite  to  spit  on  a 
pavement ;  if  necessary,  go  to  the  gutter. 

If  you  are  trundling  a  hoop,  or  riding  on  any  kind  of 
wheels  on  a  sidewalk,  give  the  right  of  way  to  all  foot- 
passengers. 

>  AT  WORK.  Treat  your  fellow-workers  with  respect. 
Many  of  them  are  probably  well-bred  people ;  if  not, 
you  can  help  them  to  be  so,  by  your  treatment  of  them. 


46  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

Do  not  try  to  put  any  work  that  belongs  to  you  on 
others  ;  better  take  a  part  of  theirs. 

Do  not  be  rough  in  speech  or  manners,  and  do  not 
scold  harshly  one  who  is  under  you  in  any  way. 

Treat  your  employers  with  unfailing  respect,  and  if 
their  character  and  conduct  is  such  that  you  cannot 
safely  or  properly  stay  with  them,  seek  employment 
elsewhere. 

-  IN  CARS  OR  STEAMBOATS.  It  is  not  polite  to  rush  for 
the  best  seats,  nor  to  occupy  more  room  than  you  are 
fairly  entitled  to.  In  steam  railway  carriages  you  pay 
for  one  seat  —  do  not  claim  two.  Do  not  talk  or  laugh 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  attract  public  attention.  If  you 
should  smoke  tobacco  when  you  grow  to  be  men,  do 
not  sit  or  stand  where  the  wind  blows  the  smoke  past 
other  passengers.  It  is  not  polite  to  spit  on  the  floors 
of  cars.  You  have  no  right  to  defile  the  floor  which 
other  people's  clothing  may  touch.  It  is  not  polite,  it  is 
hardly  decent,  to  be  in  the  habit  of  spitting  in  the  sight 
of  other  people. 

7  IN  CHURCH.  Be  in  your  seat  before  the  services  be- 
gin. Do  not  talk  in  church.  Do  not  look  at  your 
watch  during  the  service.  Do  not  look  around  the 
congregation.  It  is  not  polite  to  do  these  things.  Be 
quiet  in  church.  Be  ready  to  offer  your  seat  and  your 
book  to  a  stranger.  Do  not  use  a  fan  to  the  annoyance 
of  those  near  you.  If  you  must  fan  yourself,  do  it  very 
gently. 

Do  not  put  on  your  gloves  or  overcoat  until  the  ser- 
vices are  all  concluded.  After  the  benediction,  be  per- 
fectly  still  for  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  minute. 


POLITENESS.  47 


QUESTIONS. 

What  is  politeness  ? 

Where  can  we  show  politeness  ? 

Is  it  polite  to  interrupt  conversation? 

May  you  choose  the  best  place  or  seat? 

May  you  answer  back  when  rebuked? 

Should  you  treat  others  as  you  would  be  treated  ? 

Is  it  good  manners  to  obstruct  the  way  of  others? 

Is  it  good  manners  to  smoke  or  spit  in  public? 

Is  it  better  to  be  rough  or  gentle? 

What  is  correct  behavior  in  cars  or  on  steamboats? 

What  are  good  manners  in  church? 

What  is  your  idea  of  a  polite,  well-bred  boy  or  girl? 

Is  your  behavior  likely  to  affect  your  success  in  life  ? 


DUTIES   AT    SCHOOL. 

Children  at  school  are  under  obligation  to  their  parents  or 
guardians  to  be  diligent  and  faithful  in  making  the  best  use  of 
their  time.  They  must  obey  their  teachers  promptly  and  cheer- 
fully. 

THE  first  duty  for  children  at  school  is  to  be  diligent 
and  faithful  in  improving  their  time  and  privileges. 
There  is  pleasure  in  play,  and  advantage  in  study. 
But  children  make  a  great  mistake  in  attempting  to 
enjoy  the  pleasures  of  play  in  school  hours.  There  is 
so  much  fear  of  detection,  and  such  constant  uneasiness 
from  doing  wrong,  that  playing  in  school  is  anything 
but  pleasure.  The  fears,  the  anxieties,  the  forebodings, 
which  necessarily  attend  it,  almost  always  make  it  a 
source  of  suffering  rather  than  enjoyment. 

Even  more  :  idleness  in  school  generally  carries  its 
own  punishment  along  with  it.  Time  passes  very 
slowly  and  heavily  to  a  boy  or  girl  who  is  idle  and 
listless,  waiting  for  time  to  pass  away,  and  for  close 
of  school.  Such  a  pupil  sits  restlessly  at  his  seat, 
now  looking  out  of  the  window,  now  counting  up  how 
many  more  classes  have  yet  to  recite,  and  now  musing, 
—  his  elbow  upon  his  desk,  and  his  cheek  upon  his 
hand,  — forlorn  and  miserable.  His  neighbor,  however, 
in  the  next  seat,  is  preparing  his  lesson  for  the  next  day. 
He  says  to  himself,  "  It  is  useless  to  be  idle.  Here 
48 


DUTIES    AT    SCHOOL.  49 

I  must  stay  till  school  is  done.  I  should  like  very 
well  to  go  out  to  play  ;  but  as  I  cannot  do  that,  I  may 
as  well  be  employed  and  forget  play."  And  thus 
the  time  passes  quickly.  So  he  works  diligently  upon 
his  next  day's  lesson,  and  takes  great  satisfaction  in 
feeling  that  he  is  going  on  with  his  duty ;  and  when 
at  last  the  bell  is  struck,  he  is  surprised  to  find  that 
the  time  for  dismission  has  come  so  soon. 

It  requires  an  effort  —  sometimes  a  great  effort  —  to 
bring  the  mind  to  a  state  of  diligent  application  ;  but  if 
the  effort  is  made,  it  is  at  once  rewarded  by  the  satis- 
faction and  enjoyment  which  faithful  industry  affords. 
Besides,  it  is  very  wrong  to  waste  or  misimprove  the 
privileges  which  are  provided  for  children.  Parents  and 
teachers  know  the  value  of  education,  and  they  wish 
to  secure  it  for  those  who  are  now  in  the  schools. 

Children  are  bound  to  submit  with  cheerfulness  to 
all  the  requirements  of  their  teachers,  as  to  their  studies 
and  conduct  in  school.  Children  cannot  choose  their 
studies.  The  teacher  will  establish  rules  which  the 
pupil  sometimes  thinks  unnecessary  or  too  strict.  But 
it  is  of  no  consequence  if  he  does  think  so.  The 
teacher  must  decide.  A  pupil  should  never  put  his 
opinion  or  his  will  in  opposition  to  that  of  the  teacher. 
He  must  reflect  that  when  he  grows  up,  it  may  be  his 
time  to  command.  But  now  it  his  duty  to  obey. 

In  almost  all  schools  there  are  some  dull  pupils,  who 
are  unprincipled  in  character  as  well  as  weak  in  intellect, 
who  busy  themselves  in  tricks  and  roguery.  They  do 
all  they  can  to  lead  better  boys  to  practise  the  same 
things  ;  and  they  contrive  plans  for  making  difficulties, 
disturbing  the  order  of  the  school,  and  giving  the  teacher 


5O  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

trouble.  If  there  can  be  any  satisfaction  in  disturbing 
the  teacher's  peace  and  happiness,  they  certainly  get  it, 
for  nothing  is  more  likely  to  give  a  teacher  pain,  than  to 
find  any  pupils  in  a  state  of  deliberate  and  wilful  hostil- 
ity to  the  authority  of  the  school.  Such  characters  are 
to  be  shunned,  and  their  guilty  practices  to  be  discoun- 
tenanced and  discouraged  in  every  way.  If  they  find 
that  the  intelligent  and  the  good  altogether  disapprove 
of  their  course,  they  may  perhaps  abandon  it  and  return 
to  their  duty. 

Do  not  trouble  the  teacher  with  frivolous  complaints 
about  other  pupils,  or  be  a  tale-bearer  to  carry  stories 
of  their  misconduct.  If  the  teacher  does  anything 
which  you  think  is  wrong,  do  not  tell  the  story  exult- 
ingly  and  with  exaggeration.  Remember,  when  you 
speak  of  the  teacher  or  of  the  pupils  away  from  school, 
that  they  are  not  present  to  hear  your  accusations, 
and  to  excuse,  explain,  or  defend  their  conduct.  You 
must  be  very  careful,  therefore,  not  to  do  them  injus- 
tice. State  everything  fairly,  just  as  it  is,  and  mention 
all  the  favorable  as  well  as  the  unfavorable  circum- 
stances. We  ought  never  to  accuse  or  censure  the 
absent,  unless  peculiar  circumstances  render  it  nec- 
essary or  unavoidable ;  and  then  we  ought  to  be  very 
careful  lest  we  do  them  injustice. 

While  children  should  be  very  unwilling  and  slow 
to  speak  of  the  faults  of  others,  yet,  when  they  are 
required  by  a  parent  or  teacher  to  give  information 
in  regard  to  any  wrong  that  has  been  done,  they  should 
do  what  witnesses  are  sworn  to  do,  when  they  give 
evidence  in  courts  of  justice  :  they  should  state  all  that 
they  know,  promptly,  fully,  and  with  exact  justice  to  all 


DUTIES    AT    SCHOOL.  5! 

concerned.  It  is  dishonorable  to  be  constantly  making 
complaints  of  others  for  the  sake  of  getting  favor  to 
one's  self ;  and  it  is  always  so  considered.  Such  a 
person  is  an  informer,  a  tale-bearer.  But  to  make 
honest  statements  of  facts,  when  required  to  do  so  by 
the  proper  authorities,  is  honorable  and  praiseworthy ; 
and  this  is  universally  so  considered  among  men.  It 
is  giving  testimony.  No  gentleman  refuses  to  do  it, 
when  called  upon  the  stand  in  court ;  and  no  child  ought 
to  make  any  difficulty  in  doing  it,  when  he,  too,  is  called 
upon  by  those  who  have  a  right  to  make  the  demand. 

It  undoubtedly  requires  firmness  and  decision  to  re- 
sist all  the  various  temptations  which  occur  at  school, 
and  to  be  at  all  times  diligent,  faithful,  and  persevering, 
in  fulfilling  the  duties  which  arise  there.  But  when 
good  habits  are  formed,  it  will  be  easy  to  continue 
them  ;  and  the  effort  which  it  is  necessary  to  make, 
will  be  richly  rewarded  by  the  great  advantages  which 
they  will  bring  in  future  life. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  the  first  duty  of  a  child  at  school? 

Is  it  pleasant  to  be  idle  in  school  hours  ? 

Does  it  make  the  time  seem  shorter  or  longer  to  be  busy  ? 

What  did  the  industrious  boy  say  to  himself? 

Do  children  always  like  to  do  what  their  teachers  direct? 

Ought  they  to  obey  the  rules  whether  they  approve  them  or  not? 

Ought  they  to  obey  good-humoredly  ? 

How  may  children  treat  their  teachers  unjustly? 

Is  it  right  to  tell  the  faults  of  other  scholars  ? 

When  it  is  required  by  the  teacher,  how  should  it  be  done? 

Should  unkind  tales  of  other  scholars  be  repeated  out  of  school  ? 


DUTIES    TO   PLAYMATES. 

v  When  with  playmates,  we  must  avoid  those  who  are  vicious ; 
^^we  must  encourage  those  who  do  right ;  we  must  discourage 
those  who  do  wrong,  and  protect  the  weak  and  defenceless.    We 
must  promote  good  feeling,  and  be  kind  to  all. 

^  I.  One  of  the  most  important  things  for  boys  to  con- 
sider, as  to  their  playmates,  is  to  avoid  the  company  of 
the  vicious.  The  vicious  are  such  as  lie,  cheat,  steal, 
and  use  profane  and  corrupt  words.  If  a  boy  goes  into 
a  new  neighborhood,  or  comes  to  a  new  school,  or  is 
thrown  among  boys  whom  he  did  not  know  before,  he 
will  soon  learn  who  are  the  vicious.  They  will  betray 
themselves  by  their  language,  or  be  openly  unjust  and 
oppressive  to  the  smaller  boys,  or  they  will  have  some 
plan  for  deceiving  the  teacher,  and,  perhaps,  will  pro- 
pose to  the  other  boys  to  join  them  in  a  deliberate  lie. 
Whenever  you  discover  such  a  character  as  this,  avoid 
him.  Be  civil  when  you  meet  him,  but  have  as  little  to 
do  with  him  as  possible.  You  must  be  especially  on 
your  guard  if  you  find  that  he  tries  to  keep  your  com- 
pany, or  wants  you  to  go  with  him.  Be  firm  and  reso- 
lute in  avoiding  him.  If  not,  he  will  probably  make 
you  as  bad  as  himself. 

7  2.  Always  try  to  encourage  doing  right,  and  to  dis- 
courage doing  wrong,  among  your  playmates,  by  every 
means  in  your  power.  Boys  are  very  often  led  to  do 
what  is  wrong,  by  knowing  that  other  boys  are  looking 
52 


DUTIES    TO    PLAYMATES.  53 

on  and  approving  what  they  do.  Bystanders,  who  thus 
encourage  others  in  doing  wrong,  share  the  guilt  of  it. 
They  are  accomplices.  A  boy  was  once  led  to  throw 
stones  at  the  back  windows  of  the  schoolhouse  and 
break  the  glass,  by  the  influence  of  boys,  who  stood  by, 
and  dared  him  to  do  it.  So,  if  one  man  is  breaking  into 
a  house  in  the  night,  and  another  holds  the  light  for  him, 
and  a  third  stands  doing  nothing,  but  yet  consenting  to 
the  deed,  and  another  acts  as  a  sentinel  to  prevent  dis- 
covery, they  are  all  alike  guilty.  If  a  circle  of  boys 
gather  around  two,  who  are  quarrelling  or  fighting,  and 
look  on  with  interest  and  gratification,  they  all  partake 
of  the  wrong-doing.  A  true,  manly  boy  will  not  do  this. 
If  he  sees  anything  wrong,  or  hears  anything  wrong  pro- 
posed, he  will  discourage  and  prevent  it  if  he  can ;  and 
if  not,  he  will  go  away.  He  will  not  countenance,  by 
his  presence,  anything  which  his  conscience  condemns. 

3.  Always  try  to  protect  the  weak  and  defenceless, 
and  to  help  all  who  are  in  any  difficulty  or  trouble.  We 
might  suppose  that  no  one  would  degrade  himself  so 
much,  as  to  be  guilty  of  cruelty  and  oppression  to  those 
who  are  younger  and  smaller  than  himself.  But  there 
are  boys  who  will  do  this.  Their  consciences,  however, 
condemn  them  while  they  do  it ;  and  the  influence  of 
the  good  opinion  of  others  will  sometimes  keep  them 
from  doing  wrong.  They  know  it  is  wrong,  and  if  the 
other  boys  condemn  it,  they  will  often  refrain  from 
doing  it.  By  taking  part  with  the  oppressed,  it  is 
often  possible  to  diminish  very  much  the  oppression; 
and  there  are  many  other  ways  by  which  a  just  and 
conscientious  boy  may  help  to  protect  his  playmates 
from  injury. 

':UHI7ERSIT7" 

oy 


54  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

-7  4.  Promote  peace  and  good  will  among  your  play- 
mates, A  boy  may  do  much  to  secure  harmony  among 
his  companions,  by  explaining  misunderstandings,  by 
representing  things  that  occur,  in  a  favorable  light,  and, 
by  being  an  example  of  kindness  and  good  nature,  in  all 
his  conversation  and  conduct.  On  the  other  hand,  he 
may  do  much  to  cause  discord  and  ill  will,  by  trying  to  set 
one  boy  against  another,  by  repeating  harsh  things  which 
have  been  said,  by  exaggerating  difficulties  and  misunder- 
standings, and  by  indulging,  and  encouraging  others  to 
indulge  a  revengeful  and  a  passionate  spirit.  One  of 
the  most  common  ways  of  causing  ill  will,  both  among 
children  and  grown  persons,  is,  when  we  hear  anything 
said  in  ridicule  or  censure  of  an  absent  person,  to  go  and 
tell  him  of  it,  and  thus  exasperate  him  against  the  person 
who  said  it.  This  is  very  wrong.  We  never  should 
repeat  what  is  likely  to  produce  ill  will,  unless  some 
peculiar  circumstances  render  it  necessary.  Some  per- 
sons do  it  on  purpose  to  make  difficulty.  They  go  to 
one  person  and  tell  him  what  severe  things  another  has 
said  of  him.  Then  they  go  to  the  other,  and  make  the 
same  complaint  to  him  against  the  first,  —  exaggerating, 
and  perhaps  wholly  inventing,  the  things  which  they 
say  they  have  heard.  Such  a  character  is  a  tale-bearer. 
We  must  never  listen  to  a  tale-bearer  when  he  comes  to 
tell  us  unkind  stories  about  others'.  We  must  be  very 
careful  also,  not  to  speak  ill  of  persons  absent,  so  as 
to  give  any  tale-bearer  who  may  hear,  an  opportunity  to 
repeat  our  words  to  them,  and  make  them  angry.  And, 
in  all  our  own  conversation  with  our  companions,  we 
must  endeavor  to  soften  their  angry  feelings  and  make 
them  excuse  the  faults  of  others ;  and  we  must  care- 


DUTIES    TO    PLAYMATES.  55 

fully  suppress  and  conceal  all  that  would  tend  to  alienate 
one  of  our  playmates  from  another,  and  produce  secret 
ill  will,  or,  perhaps,  open  quarrels. 

5.  Young  people  should  be  courteous  to  one  another 
in  their  manners.  Boys  ought  to  be  gentlemanly,  and 
girls  ladylike,  in  all  their  conversation  and  demeanor. 
There  is  every  reason  for  this.  It  is  proper  in  itself. 
Politeness  is  only  gentleness  and  kindness  expressed  in 
our  manners  and  conversation.  Gentleness  and  kind- 
ness are  agreeable ;  they  promote  happiness ;  while  a 
rude,  rough,  and  ill-natured  manner  makes  others  un- 
comfortable. All  sharp  and  hasty  words,  quick  contra- 
dictions, eager  selfishness  about  little  things,  struggles 
for  the  best  seats  and  best  places,  taunting  and  uncivil 
questions,  rude  answers,  and  all  loud,  rough,  and  bois- 
terous conduct,  in  the  presence  of  grown  persons,  in  the 
house  or  anywhere  else, — all  such  manners  are  rude 
and  unbecoming.  They  disturb  the  peace  and  happiness 
of  others ;  and  whoever  wishes  to  be  conscientious  in 
duty,  will  be  careful  to  form  very  different  habits  of 
conduct. 

Two  boys  are  running  to  overtake  their  companions, 
and  they  come  to  a  stone  wall  where  there  is  only  one 
good  place  to  climb  over.  They  rush  together  for  the 
gap.  They  scramble  and  crowd  into  it,  each  pulling 
back  the  other.  The  stronger  boy  prevails.  He  throws 
the  other  back  among  the  fallen  stones,  and  then  dashes 
through,  and  runs  on,  leaving  his  playmate  behind, 
bruised,  vexed,  and  unhappy. 

Two  other  boys  come  up  to  the  gap  in  the  wall  under 
the  same  circumstances.  The  elder,  with  instinctive 
politeness,  slackens  his  pace  an  instant,  to  let  the  other 


56  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

pass  over  before  him.  Small  boys  never  like  to  be 
behind  in  overcoming  a  difficulty.  It  makes  them 
anxious,  and  afraid  that  they  will  be  left  behind.  The 
elder  therefore  helps  his  young  companion  through, 
and  then  follows ;  then  they  run  on,  both  in  undis- 
turbed fun.  The  politeness  has  wasted  no  time;  it 
has  diminished  no  pleasure;  it  has  caused  no  pain. 
And  so  it  always  is.  Politeness  and  kind  consider- 
ation for  others,  smooth  the  roughness  of  play,  over- 
come difficulties  and  heighten  enjoyment.  They  bind 
playmates  together  in  strong  bonds  of  affection,  and 
form  in  boys  and  girls  such  manners  and  habits,  as 
make  them  objects  of  regard  and  affection  while  they 
are  young,  and  secure  for  them  great  advantages,  when 
they  grow  up,  in  their  intercourse  with  the  world  at 
large. 

QUESTIONS. 

In  choosing  playmates,  whom  must  we  avoid? 

What  are  vicious  boys? 

How  do  vicious  boys  generally  show  their  characters  ? 

What  effect  is  the  acquaintance  of  a  vicious  boy  likely  to  have  ? 

In  what  way  ought  a  boy  to  use  his  influence  over  his  playmates? 

If  a  boy  encourages  another  to  do  wrong,  does  he  not  share  in 
the  guilt  of  it? 

How  is  this  illustrated  by  the  case  of  the  broken  windows? 

Suppose  you  know  of  a  wrong  about  to  be  done,  and  you  cannot 
prevent  it,  what  must  you  do? 

What  is  the  third  direction  given  in  the  lesson? 

Do  cases  of  oppression  and  cruelty  often  occur  among  boys  ? 

Can  good  boys  do  anything  to  prevent  it?     How? 

Can  a  boy  do  anything  to  promote  peace  among  his  playmates  ? 
In  what  way? 

Can  he  do  anything  to  promote  dissension  and  ill  will?  In  what 
way? 


DUTIES    TO    PLAYMATES.  57 

Do  these  principles  apply  to  girls  as  well  as  boys  ? 
Did  you  ever  know  boys  or  girls  to  take  pleasure  in  telling  their- 
playmates  the  evil  which  others  have  said  of  them  ? 
Is  this  right  or  wrong?    What  harm  does  it  do? 
What  is  meant  by  being  courteous? 
Describe  the  cases  of  the  boys  and  the  stone  wall. 


BENEVOLENCE. 

It  is  our  duty  to  do  good  to  other  people  and  make  them 
happy.  This  is  benevolence.  Doing  intentionally  anything  that 
gives  other  people  pain,  without  just  cause,  is  malice. 

MALICE  is  very  hateful.  We  must  not  suppose,  how- 
ever, that  in  every  case  where  a  person  causes  suffering 
to  another,  there  is  malice.  It  is  not  malicious  un- 
less he  intends  to  make  others  suffer.  Two  boys  go 
down  to  the  water,  to  sail  a  toy  boat.  It  is  at  a  place 
where  the  road  passes  along  by  the  shore,  and  where 
the  water  is  shallow,  and  the  bottom  is  sandy,  so  that 
travellers  can  drive  their  horses  in  a  little  way  to  let 
them  drink.  The  boys  play  with  their  boat  until  at  last 
it  gets  out  beyond  their  reach,  and  they  do  not  know 
what  to  do. 

Now,  suppose  a  gentleman  and  a  lady  should  come 
along  in  a  carriage,  busily  engaged  in  talking,  and 
should  drive  into  the  water,  and  run  over  the  boat,  let- 
ting the  horses  trample  it  down,  because  they  would 
not  take  the  trouble  to  turn  aside ;  and  then  the  gentle- 
man were  to  say,  "There,  boys,  we've  run  over  your 
boat ;  but  you'd  no  business  to  have  it  in  the  way." 
This  would  be  harsh ;  but  it  would  not  be  malicious. 
It  would  only  be  a  selfish  disregard  of  the  happiness  of 
others.  The  gentleman  did  not  particularly  wish  to 
run  over  the  boat,  but  he  did  not  take  pains  to  avoid  it. 

But,  suppose  a  'rough  boy  were  to  come  along  on  foot, 
58 


BENEVOLENCE.  59 

and,  seeing  the  boat  floating  away,  should  take  up  stones 
to  throw  at  it ;  and,  after  throwing  several  times,  should 
succeed  in  hitting  it  and  breaking  it  to  pieces  ;  and  then 
should  go  away,  laughing  at  the  sorrow  and  distress 
which  the  children  would  feel.  This  would  be  malicious. 

And,  again,  suppose  instead  of  the  malicious  boy  on 
foot,  two  boys  were  to  come  along  in  a  wagon,  and,  see- 
ing the  boat  out  upon  the  water,  should  say  to  the  chil- 
dren, "  Can't  you  get  back  your  boat  ? "  and  when  the 
children  say,  "  No,"  suppose  they  were  to  cut  a  long 
stick,  and  drive  in  as  far  as  they  could  go  safely,  and 
then  reach  out  with  the  stick,  and  carefully  draw  the 
boat  to  the  shore.  This  would  be  benevolent. 

Suppose  another  man  were  to  drive  over  the  boat, 
without  seeing  it,  and  then,  after  his  horse  had  finished 
drinking,  were  to  drive  on,  without  knowing  that  he 
had  done  any  mischief.  This  would  not  be  benevolent, 
nor  malicious,  nor  selfish.  It  would  be  merely  an  acci- 
dent, and  worthy  of  no  praise,  and  of  no  blame. 

Thus  we  may  injure  others  accidentally  ;  or  we  may 
injure  them  because  we  do  not  care  about  their  happi- 
ness, but  only  wish  to  secure  our  own  ends,  —  which  is 
selfishness  ;  or  we  may  injure  them  intentionally,  for 
the  sake  of  giving  them  pain,  and  gratifying  bad  pas- 
sions by  seeing  them  suffer ;  this  is  malice.  Malice  is 
always  hateful.  But  it  is  not  always  malicious  to  do 
a  person  an  injury  ;  and  we  must,  therefore,  when  harm 
is  done  to  us,  consider  the  case  calmly,  and  not  charge 
a  person  who  injures  us  with  being  malicious,  unless 
the  case  is  such  as  to  prove  that  he  really  is  so. 

There  is  some  distinction  to  be  made  in  regard  to 
acts  of  kindness  and  benevolence.  If  we  do  good  to 


6O  A    PRIMER   OF    ETHICS. 

others  accidentally,  or  without  a  design  to  do  them 
good,  it  is  not  benevolence ;  as,  for  instance,  where  a 
gardener  threw  the  cuttings  and  trimmings  of  the  garden 
in  a  heap,  and  a  boy  found  some  rose-bush  shoots,  with 
little  roots,  among  them,  and  set  them  out ;  and  where 
a  man  overflowed  his  meadow,  to  kill  the  alders,  and 
thus  made  a  fine  skating-ground  for  the  boys.  He 
intended,  it  is  true,  to  overflow  his  meadows,  but  he  did 
not  intend  any  advantage  to  the  boys  by  it.  Therefore 
it  was  not  benevolent. 

And  even  when  we  do  intend  to  benefit  other  persons 
by  what  we  do,  if  our  object,  in  the  end,  is  to  benefit 
ourselves,  it  is  not  benevolence.  A  man  wants  to  have 
his  horse  watered,  and,  having  no  other  convenient  way, 
tells  a  boy  who  lives  near  him  that  he  may  ride  him 
down  to  the  stream,  and  let  him  drink.  Now,  although 
the  man  knows  very  well  that  the  boy  would  like  to 
go,  yet,  if  his  object  is,  not  to  give  the  boy  the  gratifi- 
cation of  a  ride,  but  only  to  get  his  horse  watered,  then 
there  is  no  benevolence  in  the  action.  Most  men,  in 
such  cases,  are  influenced  by  both  motives ;  and  thus 
the  action  is,  in  part,  a  benevolent  one. 

When  one  does  what  seems  to  be  benevolent,  while 
yet  his  real  intention  is  to  gain  some  good  for  himself, 
he  may  be  doing  right  or  he  may  be  doing  wrong ;  it 
depends  upon  circumstances.  But,  right  or  wrong,  it  is 
not  benevolence.  As  malice,  or  malevolence,  consists 
in  doing  evil  for  the  purpose  of  gratifying  bad  passions, 
by  making  persons  suffer,  so  benevolence  consists  in 
doing  good  for  the  purpose  of  making  them  happy. 
The  latter  is  excellent  and  lovely ;  the  former  is  to  be 
abhorred. 


BENEVOLENCE.  6 1 

To  tease,  or  torment,  the  weak  and  defenceless — • 
make  them  unnecessary  trouble,  or  give  them  pain  — 
is  malicious.  Wounding  their  feelings,  by  ridiculing 
them,  or  calling  them  nicknames,  or  terrifying  them  by 
threats  of  violence,  to  gratify  our  own  bad  passions,  or 
to  make  amusement  for  ourselves  or  others,  is  mali- 
cious. So  is  every  mode  of  worrying  or  torturing  the 
poor  defenceless  animals,  that  cannot  speak  to  remon- 
strate against  our  cruelty,  or  beg  to  be  spared,  —  all 
this  is  malicious.  It  is  one  of  the  darkest  traits  that 
the  human  character  can  assume.  So  far  as  it  prevails 
at  the  school,  upon  the  playground,  or  at  home,  it 
makes  misery.  It  destroys  peace ;  it  banishes  smiles  ; 
and  it  clouds  the  face  with  an  expression  of  suffering 
and  sorrow.  It  promotes  revenge,  hatred,  mutual  ill 
will,  and  continual  strife.  It  is  detestable. 

On  the  other  hand,  kindness  and  good  will  carry  a 
charm  with  them  wherever  they  go.  Even  in  little 
things,  where  good  feeling  shows  itself  only  in  pleasant 
words  and  gentle  looks,  it  is  like  sunshine,  which  glad- 
dens every  group  and  every  scene  that  it  falls  upon. 
A  good-natured  and  obliging  boy,  who  will  be  ready 
to  help  those  who  are  in  difficulty ;  to  protect  the 
defenceless  and  the  oppressed  ;  to  share  his  enjoyments 
with  his  playmates,  and  to  speak  in  a  kind  and  gentle 
manner  to  all,  —  one  such  boy  sometimes  diffuses  happi- 
ness over  a  whole  school,  or  a  whole  neighborhood  ;  and 
if  the  world  were  filled  with  such  people,  a  very  happy 
world  it  would  be. 


62  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  benevolence? 

What  is  malice  ? 

When  one  person  occasions  suffering  to  another,  is  it  always 
malicious  ? 

What  is  essential  in  order  to  make  it  so  ? 

Relate  the  case  of  the  children  and  the  boat. 

Who  came  there  first,  and  what  did  they  do  ? 

Was  this  malicious? 

Did  they  wish  to  do  any  injury  to  the  boat? 

Who  came  next,  —  on  foot?    What  did  he  do? 

Did  he  intend  to  destroy  the  boat? 

Was  this  malice? 

Did  the  suffering  of  the  children  give  him  pain,  or  amuse  him? 

Who  came  in  a  wagon? 

What  did  they  do  ? 

What  kind  of  conduct  was  this  ? 

Did  it  pain  or  amuse  these  boys  to  see  the  children  suffer  from 
the  loss  of  their  boat? 

Is  it  likely  the  boat  was  a  valuable  one? 

Would  that  make  any  difference  in  regard  to  the  character  of  the 
transactions? 

How  might  the  boat  have  been  injured  accidentally? 

Suppose  a  person  does  some  good  to  others,  for  the  sake  of 
gaining  some  object  of  his  own  :  is  that  benevolence  ? 

What  influence  does  a  malicious  boy  exert  upon  those  connected 
with  him? 

What  influence  does  a  kind  and  benevolent  boy  or  girl  exert? 

Do  you  sometimes  observe  malicious  character  and  conduct 
among  boys  and  girls? 

Do  you  sometimes  observe  kind  and  benevolent  acts  ? 


DUTIES  TO  DUMB  CREATURES. 

The  birds  of  the  air,  the  fish  of  the  sea,  the  animals  that  creep 
or  walk  on  the  earth,  were  made  for  man's  use,  and  are  more  or 
less  under  his  power.  They  cannot  speak,  and  their  defenceless 
condition  is  an  appeal  for  kind  treatment. 

THERE  are  at  least  three  reasons  why  we  should  treat 
dumb  creatures  kindly. 

-     I.    FOR  THE  SAKE  OF    THE  CREATURE  ITSELF.       Do  HOt 

make  it  wretched.  Cruelty  to  dumb  creatures  and 
cruelty  to  children  are  alike  in  kind ;  it  is  the  strong 
oppressing  the  weak,  aggravated  in  the  case  of  dumb 
creatures,  for  they  cannot  complain,  they  cannot  defend 
themselves,  and  they  do  not  revenge  their  wrongs.  If 
dumb  creatures  could  talk,  we  would  not  be  so  likely  to 
be  cruel  to  them. 

2.  FOR  OUR  OWN  SAKE.     One  who  is  tender  and  com- 
passionate in  his  feelings  will  not  confine  his  pity  to 
man  alone,  but  will  pity  dumb  creatures  also.     A  boy 
who  is  cruel  to  dumb  creatures  will,  unless  he  is  changed, 
become  cruel  to  any  persons  under  him.     The  feelings 
become  blunted  and  hardened ;  the  tendency  is  toward 
the  savage. 

3.  FOR  GOD'S  SAKE.     The  Bible  abounds  in  references 
to  the  dumb  creatures.     "A  righteous  man  regardeth 
the  life  of  his  beast."     "  Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  ox 
that  treadeth  out  the  corn."     "  Doth  God  care  for  the 

63 


64  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

oxen  ? "  "  Not  even  a  sparrow  falleth  to  the  ground 
without  your  Heavenly  Father,"  etc. 

A  boy  of  twelve  years  was  driving  a  pair  of  very  small 
oxen  on  the  shore  of  a  bay  of  salt  water.  It  was  a  warm 
day  in  May,  and  the  oxen  were  tired  and  thirsty.  See- 
ing the  water,  and  not  knowing  it  to  be  salt,  they  broke 
from  the  little  driver's  control,  and  rushed  into  the  water 
to  drink  ;  but  they  could  not  drink  salt  water.  The  boy 
beat  them  over  the  head  with  his  rough  stick  and  soon 
brought  them  under  control  again.  A  gentleman  who 
saw  it,  talked  with  the  boy,  who  was  angry,  and  tried 
to  show  him  how  cruel  it  was  to  beat  the  oxen,  for  they 
only  tried  to  get  water ;  and  especially  he  told  the  boy 
of  the  danger  of  beating  them  over  the  head,  lest  he 
should  hurt  their  eyes  and  make  them  blind.  The  boy 
took  the  advice  kindly ;  he  had  never  been  talked  to 
about  it  before ;  he  promised  not  to  do  so  again. 

One  of  the  best  things  the  English  author  Sterne 
ever  wrote,  was  the  incident  of  Uncle  Toby  and  the  fly. 
The  fly  had  been  buzzing  about  Uncle  Toby's  face  and 
head  during  dinner,  until  he  was  compelled  to  catch  it. 
The  first  impulse  was  to  crush  it,  but  the  kindly  old 
man  did  a  better  thing.  He  rose  from  the  table,  opened 
the  window  and  threw  it  out,  saying,  "  Go,  poor  thing, 
get  thee  gone ;  there  is  room  enough  in  the  world  for 
thee  and  me  both." 

In  London  there  is  a  hospital  or  refuge  for  homeless, 
friendless  dogs,  where  they  are  saved  from  starvation  ; 
and  if  not  found  to  be  of  any  value,  or  not  called  for  by 
owners,  they  are  put  to  death  without  pain.  All  honor 
to  the  people  who  establish  and  support  such  an  asylum.  * 

There    are   places   in    other   cities   where    sick   and 


DUTIES   TO    DUMB    CREATURES.  65 

wounded  cats  and  dogs  are  received  and  treated  with 
much  care  and  tenderness,  and  a  great  University  has 
prepared  a  place  where  sick  horses  and  other  animals 
may  be  cared  for. 

Much  of  the  cruelty  which  is  inflicted  on  dumb  crea- 
tures is  from  thoughtlessness  and  indifference.  Little 
children  will  worry  and  vex  young  kittens  and  dogs,  not 
knowing  how  much  pain  they  give.  Boys  who  drive 
cattle,  use  heavy  sticks  which  bruise  the  flesh.  A  boy 
driving  a  cart  will  use  the  heavy  end  of  his  whip  on  the 
horse  or  mule.  The  driver  of  a  street  car  will  beat  a 
horse  if  he  slips  or  stumbles.  A  refinement  of  cruelty 
is  to  rein  up  a  horse  by  a  kind  of  bridle,  which  compels 
him  to  hold  up  his  head  to  a  painful  and  unnatural  height. 
Street  cars  are  too  often  overloaded,  and  the  suffering  to 
which  the  horses  are  thus  subjected  is  deplorable. 

Rabbits  and  other  animals,  by  the  hundreds,  are  tor- 
tured by  medical  students  in  order  to  learn  what  has 
been  learned  often  before  by  other  students,  the  results 
of  which  have  been  published.  This  is  called  vivisec- 
tion. The  poor,  helpless,  dumb  creatures  are  tortured 
by  man  for  his  profit,  in  his  passion,  or  in  the  name 
of  science. 

Cruelty  to  dumb  creatures  has  become  such  an  ad- 
mitted fact,  that  societies  have  been  formed  for  its  pre- 
vention, whose  agents  look  after  animals  and  punish 
people  who  ill-treat  them.  Much  of  this  ill-treatment 
is  due  to  thoughtlessness ;  but  the  want  of  thought  is 
itself  wrong,  and  ought  to  be  corrected.  An  idle  boy 
at  school  digs  with  a  penknife  a  hole  in  the  top  of  his 
desk,  then  fits  a  little  piece  of  glass  in  it,  and  catches 
and  imprisons  flies  in  it  to  perish.  Boys  sometimes 


66  A    PRIMER   OF    ETHICS. 

catch  flies  and  stick  pins  through  them,  and  so  fasten 
them  to  a  board  or  desk  ;  or  pull  off  their  wings  or  legs. 
Boys  tease  and  worry  cats,  and  sometimes  stone  them 
to  death.  Some  boys  carry  gum-elastic  slings  (sling- 
shots) to  shoot  pebbles  at  birds.  This  causes  suffering 
and  sometimes  death  to  living  creatures,  for  no  other 
purpose  than  the  excitement  of  learning  to  shoot  accu- 
rately. 

It  is  quite  common  to  put  up  pigeons  in  a  coop  and 
gather  a  company  of  sportsmen  for  practice  in  shooting. 
The  birds  are  let  loose,  and  the  gunners  fire  at  them  as 
they  fly.  Killed  and  wounded,  they  fall  to  the  ground, 
and  records  are  kept  of  the  successful  shooting.  Can 
anything  be  more  cruel  ?  There  is  not  even  the  excuse 
that  the  birds  are  killed  for  food ;  it  is  only  for  sport. 
An  exhibition  of  this  kind  was  once  made  on  a  large 
scale.  Thousands  of  pigeons  were  killed,  wounded,  and 
crippled  by  men  who  shot  at  them  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  who  could  kill,  wound,  and  cripple  the 
greatest  number.  The  prize  was  a  diamond  badge,  and 
the  winner  was  called  a  champion,  precisely  as  if  he  had 
performed  some  notable  feat.  Champions  of  this  sort 
ought  to  go  to  jail.  The  dumb  beasts,  as  well  as  human 
beings,  are  God's  creatures.  He  made  them  all ;  He 
cares  for  them  all. 

The  hunter  shoots  and  wounds  the  squirrel.  The 
poor  creature  creeps  to  its  hole,  lies  writhing  in  agony, 
and  finally  dies  a  lingering,  painful  death.  How  little 
the  gunner  thinks  or  cares  for  this  !  How  do  we  know 

but  that 

"  the  poor  beetle  that  we  tread  upon, 
In  corporal  suffering  feels  a  pang  as  great 
As  when  a  giant  dies  ?  " 


DUTIES  TO  DUMB  CREATURES.  6? 

Some  young  men  go  to  a  livery  stable,  hire  a  horse 
and  carriage,  and  go  off  to  a  tavern,  get  drunk,  and 
drive  the  horse  until  he  drops  dead.  A  man  overworks 
a  horse  in  a  cart ;  the  wheel  gets  into  a  rut ;  the  horse 
is  unable  to  pull  it  out,  but  he  cannot  say  so,  and  the 
man  falls  to  beating  him,  not  with  a  whip,  but  with  a 
heavy  stick,  or  bludgeon.  The  horse  cannot  defend  him- 
self ;  he  cannot  even  complain  of  this  cruel  treatment. 

There  are  vicious  people  who  train  chickens  and  dogs 
for  fighting.  We  call  this  brutal.  It  is  not  the  proper 
word ;  the  brutes  are  better  than  this. 

To  do  wrong  or  to  hurt  one  who  is  younger  or  weaker 
than  ourselves  is  the  act  of  a  coward,  and  any  one  who 
needlessly  hurts  a  dumb  creature  is  a  coward.  It  is  a 
serious  offence  to  call  a  person  a  coward,  but  it  is  not 
too  harsh  a  word  to  apply  to  one  who  ill-treats  a  helpless 
dumb  creature. 

By  common  consent  many  dumb  animals  are  claimed 
by  man  for  food,  and  the  claim  generally  is  not  ques- 
tioned ;  but  we  cannot  eat  them  alive,  so  we  put  them  to 
death.  This,  however,  should  be  done  as  quickly  and 
with  as  little  pain  as  possible.  Fish,  when  caught  for 
food,  should  not  be  allowed  to  die  slowly  gasping  for 
their  natural  element,  but  should  be  killed  promptly. 
Young  people  should  not  be  permitted  or  encouraged 
to  be  present  when  animals  are  put  to  death.  It  is  for 
this  reason  that  people  having  the  care  of  boys,  in  seek- 
ing suitable  work  for  them,  will  not  willingly  have  them 
taught  the  trade  of  a  butcher,  however  necessary  that 
occupation  may  be,  lest  the  sight  of  blood  and  of  death 
should  be  hurtful  to  the  young  mind. 


68  A   PRIMER   OF   ETHICS. 


QUESTIONS. 

What  are  dumb  creatures  ? 
How  many  reasons  for  treating  them  kindly? 
What  are  they  ? 

What  is  the  story  of  the  boy  and  the  oxen? 
Tell  the  story  about  Uncle  Toby. 
Are  there  hospitals  for  sick  animals  ? 
Mention  some  ways  in  which  people  are  cruel  to  animals. 
Is  it  right  or  wrong  to  have  shooting-matches? 
What  about  fishing? 
Should  we  fish  for  sport  simply? 

Is  it  brave  or  cowardly  to  hurt  those  who  are  younger  or  weaker 
than  we  are? 

What  is  it  when  a  dumb  creature  is  abused  ? 

When  animals  are  killed  for  food,  how  should  it  be  done  ? 


TREATMENT   OF   ENEMIES. 

If  we  have  enemies,  we  ought  not  to  do  them  evil;  but  so  far  as 
it  is  in  our  power,  we  ought  to  do  them  good.  If  we  cannot  do 
them  good,  we  must  bear  their  enmity  with  a  patient  and  forgiving 
spirit.  This  is  best  for  us,  and  best  for  our  enemies;  and  it  is  a 
duty  which  God  requires. 

AN  enemy  is  one  who  wilfully  does  us  an  injury.  If 
a  boy  gives  pain  or  suffering  to  another  accidentally,  he 
is  not  his  enemy.  If  a  parent  punishes  a  child,  and 
thus  gives  him  pain,  the  parent  is  not  on  this  account 
the  child's  enemy ;  for  his  design  is  to  do  good,  and  not 
evil.  Enmity  is  a  feeling  which  leads  one  to  desire  to. 
do  evil  to  another,  not  because  it  is  necessary  in  order 
to  accomplish  some  good  object,  but  to  gratify  hatred 
or  revenge. 

A  person  may  do  an  injury  to  others,  not  for  the  sake 
of  injuring  them,  but  :o  gain  some  advantage  himself. 
In  such  a  case,  he  is  not,  strictly  speaking,  their  enemy. 
If  some  boys  were  to  get  into  an  orchard  to  steal  the 
fruit,  they  would  not  be,  on  this  account,  the  owner's 
enemies  ;  for  their  motive  is  only  to  obtain  the  fruit  for 
themselves ;  they  do  not  particularly  wish  to  do  the 
owner  any  injury.  They  have  no  feelings  of  enmity  and 
ill  will  towards  him.  If  there  were  apple-trees  growing 
in  the  road,  they  would  as  readily  take  them  there,  as  go 
into  the  orchard  for  them.  So  they  are  not  his  enemies. 

69 


7<D  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

But  if  some  boys,  hating  the  man  for  any  cause,  were 
to  go  into  the  orchard  to  break  down  the  branches  of 
the  trees,  not  to  do  themselves  any  good,  but  only  to 
do  the  owner  injury,  then  they  are  his  enemies.  Their 
motives  are  resentment  and  ill  will.  If  there  were  trees 
in  the  road,  it  would  not  satisfy  them  at  all  to  break 
them  down,  for  their  special  object  is  to  do  this  man  an 
injury. 

It  is  plain,  then,  that  it  is  wrong  for  any  person  to  be 
another's  enemy.  Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  give 
other  persons  pain,  but  it  is  always  wrong  to  do  this 
wilfully  and  intentionally,  and  with  hostile  feelings. 
Parents  and  teachers  are  compelled  sometimes  to  inflict 
pain  upon  children,  as  punishment ;  in  such  cases,  how- 
ever, their  object  is  not  suffering  itself,  but  the  good 
which  they  hope  the  suffering  will  be  the  means  of 
accomplishing.  In  punishing  children  and  pupils  in  a 
proper  manner  and  with  a  proper  spirit,  they  who  pun- 
ish are  friends  of  the  children,  and  not  their  enemies. 
There  are  many  other  ways  by  which  persons  may  give 
pain,  without  being  moved  to  do  so  by  malice  or  ill  will. 
But  if  a  person  is  actuated  by  feelings  of  malice  and 
ill  will,  when  he  gives  any  other  person  pain,  for  the 
sake  of  giving  pain,  he  is  always  wrong.  We  ought  to 
do  good  to  others,  and  not  evil.  We  ought  to  desire 
to  make  them  happy,  not  to  see  them  suffer. 

When  other  persons  do  evil  to  us,  with  hostile  in- 
tentions, the  first  impulse  is  to  repay  them  by  doing 
evil  to  them.  If  a  man  injures  his  neighbor  in  any 
way,  and  if  his  neighbor  injures  him  in  return,  this  is 
retaliation. 

It  might  at  first  be  supposed  that  retaliation  would 


TREATMENT    OF    ENEMIES.  /I 

have  a  good  effect  in  preventing  the  enemy  who  injures 
us  once  from  doing  so  again.  If  he  finds  that  every 
time  he  does  anything  to  cause  us  pain,  we  retaliate, 
he  will  learn,  we  might  suppose,  that  he  always  brings 
injury  upon  himself  by  attempting  to  injure  us,  and 
thus  that  he  would  soon  be  compelled  to  cease.  We 
might  suppose  that  this  would  be  the  effect ;  but  when 
we  come  to  see  what  the  effect  really  is,  we  find  it  is 
very  different.  A  bad  boy  gets  some  stones  together 
to  throw  at  me,  when  I  am  going  to  school.  If  I 
throw  stones  at  him  as  I  pass  along,  instead  of  mak- 
ing him  give  up  such  hostile  acts  afterwards,  it  only 
encourages  him  to  collect  more  stones  for  the  next 
day.  It  makes  him  a  greater  enemy  than  before,  — 
more  hostile,  more  malicious,  more  bent  on  doing  evil 
than  ever. 

But,  as  I  pass  along  the  street  the  next  day,  I  see  that 
boy  carrying  something  very  heavy  in  a  basket,  and  I 
go  to  him  and  say,  "  Let  me  help  you  carry  it  a  little 
way,"  —  and  take  hold  with  him  and  carry  it  along,  —  it 
is  very  probable  that,  after  that,  he  will  not  throw  any 
more  stones.  Retaliation  makes  his  hostility  greater ; 
showing  him  kindness  makes  it  less,  or  takes  it  away. 
If  I  do  evil  to  him,  I  make  it  more  probable  that  he  will 
try  hereafter  to  do  evil  to  me.  If  I  do  him  good,  I  am 
almost  certain  to  prevent  him  from  ever  trying  to  injure 
me  again. 

This  is  one  reason  why  our  Saviour  said,  "  Love  your 
enemies  ;  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you."  He  saw 
that  this  was  a  far  better  way  than  retaliation,  to  protect 
ourselves  from  future  injuries.  But  there  is  another 
reason,  which  is,  perhaps,  stronger  still.  And  that  is, 


72  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

that  doing  good  to  our  enemy  is  not  only  better  for  us, 
but  it  is  very  much  better  for  him.  The  angry  and 
malicious  feelings  in  his  heart  are  very  wrong,  and  make 
him  miserable,  and  we  must  not  do  anything  to  increase 
them.  If  we  can  in  any  way  make  him  give  up  such 
feelings,  and  cherish  friendliness  and  good  will  towards 
us,  we  make  him  a  great  deal  happier,  as  well  as  our- 
selves. 

A  man  lived  in  a  village  where  there  were  two  or 
three  bad  boys  ;  and  one  of  them,  who  had  become  dis- 
pleased with  him  in  some  way  or  other,  one  evening 
broke  the  glass  in  a  window  which  opened  into  a  tool- 
room. The  man  caught  the  boy,  and  held  him  until  he 
saw  who  it  was,  and  then  let  him  go,  so  that  he  might 
have  time  to  consider  what  he  should  do.  As  he  was 
considering,  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  could  easily  have 
whipped  the  boy  for  breaking  my  window,  but  that 
would  not  have  prevented  him  from  breaking  my  win- 
dows again  ;  it  would  probably  have  made  him  only 
more  secret  about  it.  Besides,  to  keep  my  windows 
from  being  broken  is  not  the  most  important  thing. 
His  heart  is  in  a  very  wrong  and  wretched  state.  Now, 
if  I  can  change  the  character  of  his  feelings,  I  shall  do 
him  a  great  deal  of  good.  And  it  is  much  more  impor- 
tant for  him  that  this  should  be  done,  than  it  is  for  me 
to  prevent  his  breaking  any  more  of  my  windows." 

Some  days  after  this,  the  man  was  going  towards 
home,  and  he  overtook  this  boy,  who  was  walking  before 
him.  It  was  winter,  and  the  man  was  riding  in  a  sleigh. 
He  stopped  his  horse  and  asked  the  boy  to  get  in  and 
ride  with  him.  The  boy  felt  ashamed  when  he  saw 
who  it  was,  and  at  first  refused  to  get  in ;  but  the  man 


TREATMENT    OF    ENEMIES.  73 

insisted  upon  it  so  strongly  and  with  so  good-humored 
an  air  and  manner,  that  he  got  in.  But  he  trembled 
and  was  afraid,  expecting  that  he  would  have  to  receive 
very  severe  rebukes  for  breaking  the  window. 

Instead  of  reproaching  him,  or  saying  anything  what- 
ever to  him  about  his  fault,  the  man  said,  "  If  you  like 
to  drive,  take  the  reins  and  the  whip,  and  drive  me  into 
the  town."  The  boy  did  like  to  drive  very  much  indeed. 
So  he  drove  into  the  town,  and  when  he  got  pretty  near 
his  own  house,  they  stopped,  and  he  got  out,  and  said, 
"  Good  by,  sir.  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  my  ride  ; 
and  I  am  very  sorry  indeed  that  I  broke  your  window." 

The  excellence  of  this  way  of  managing  such  a  case, 
does  not  arise  so  much  from  the  fact  that  it  was  a  very 
good  way  to  prevent  the  boy  from  breaking  any  more 
windows,  but  that  it  had  so  good  an  influence  upon  the 
boy's  mind,  in  making  him  ashamed  of  his  bad  passions. 
Retaliation  would  only  have  exasperated  him.  Just 
punishment,  inflicted  by  his  father  or  teacher,  or  by  any 
one  who  was  authorized  to  punish  him,  might  have  done 
him  good  ;  but  anything  from  the  man  whom  he  had 
injured,  of  the  nature  of  retaliation  and  revenge,  would 
only  have  exasperated  him.  This  free  forgiveness  soft- 
ened and  subdued  him.  Revenge  would  have  strength- 
ened the  bad  feeling  which  was  in  his  mind.  Forgiveness 
removed  it. 

Whenever,  therefore,  we  find  that  we  have  enemies, 
and  it  is  in  our  power  to  do  them  either  good  or  evil, 
as  we  may  choose,  it  is  our  duty  to  do  them  good.  But 
sometimes  the  circumstances  may  be  such,  that  it  seems 
not  to  be  in  our  power  either  to  injure  them  or  to  do 
them  good ;  as  when  a  young  boy  comes  to  a  school 


74  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

where  there  is  a  large  boy  who  takes  pleasure  in  oppress- 
ing him  and  in  giving  him  pain,  by  every  means  in  his 
power.  This  .is  sometimes  called  hazing.  The  young 
boy  is  too  weak  to  retaliate  upon  the  one  who  thus 
injures  him,  even  if  he  desires  to  do  so.  And,  on  the 
other  hand,  day  after  day  passes,  without  bringing  any 
opportunity  to  do  him  good.  The  poor  boy's  oppressor 
is  above  his  reach  and  beyond  his  power.  What  shall 
he  do  in  such  a  case  as  this  ? 

There  is  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  to  be  patient, 
taking  care  to  avoid  his  guilty  tormentor  as  much  as 
he  can,  and  bear  with  a  quiet  spirit  what  he  cannot 
escape.  This  forbearance  and  gentleness  will  do  much 
more  to  subdue  hostility  than  any  angry  resistance ;  and 
even  if  it  would  not,  still  it  is  our  duty  to  exercise  it. 
There  is  very  much  oppression  and  iniquity  in  this  world 
for  which  there  is  no  remedy,  and  the  innocent  are  often 
hopelessly  held  in  the  power  of  the  wicked.  It  is  in 
such  cases  useless  as  well  as  wrong,  to  allow  our  minds 
to  become  irritated  and  vexed,  and  to  struggle  in  fruit- 
less anger  against  evils  which  we  cannot  overcome,  and 
which,  therefore,  must  be  borne.  Let  us  always  bear 
wrong  done  to  ourselves  with  a  patient  and  submissive 
spirit  as  long  as  we  possibly  can. 

We  must  be  very  careful  not  to  think  that  any  per- 
sons are  our  enemies  when  they  are  really  not  so.  A 
person  who  is  very  ready  to  believe,  without  any  good 
reason,  that  other  persons  are  wishing  to  injure  him, 
causes  himself  unnecessary  pain.  He  is  always  suspi- 
cious and  distrustful.  Sometimes  we  imagine  from  a 
person's  countenance  that  he  dislikes  us,  or  we  inter- 
pret some  action  which  was  really  innocent  as  a  sign 


TREATMENT    OF    ENEMIES.  75 

of  hostility.  A  girl  went  to  school  one  day,  and  found 
several  girls  talking  together  in  a  corner,  and  the  expres- 
sion of  their  countenances  indicated  displeasure.  So 
she  concluded  at  once  that  they  were  saying  something 
against  her,  and  she  was  very  much  offended.  But  it 
was  without  any  reason  whatever ;  for  they  were  really 
talking  about  something  else,  and  had  just  finished 
what  they  had  to  say,  when  she  came  in ;  and  so  just  at 
that  moment  they  stopped  talking  and  got  up  and  went 
away. 

We  ought  to  consider  the  conduct  of  others  as  favora- 
bly as  we  can,  and  above  all  things  never  to  think  that 
they  are  hostile  to  us,  without  clear  and  positive  evi- 
dence. It  has  very  often  happened  that  two  persons 
have  gradually  got  into  a  serious  quarrel,  from  no  cause 
whatever,  except  that  each  was  unreasonably  suspicious 
of  the  other.  In  such  a  case  if  both,  besides  being  sus- 
picious, have  a  spirit  of  retaliation,  the  difficulty  soon 
becomes  irreconcilable.  For  the  spirit  of  retaliation 
always  leads  on  from  bad  to  worse. 

We  see  then  that  the  way  to  treat  our  enemies  and 
all  who  show  any  ill  will  or  hostility  to  us,  is  this  :  — 

,  I.  If  those  who  injure  us  are  in  any  way  in  our  power, 
we  must  use  that  power  to  do  them  good  and  not  evil. 
A  spirit  of  good  will  and  forgiveness  will  not  only  be 
best  for  us,  but  it  will  be  best  for  those  who  injure 
us ;  as  it  is  exactly  calculated  to  make  them  sorry  for 
the  wrong  which  they  have  done,  and  unwilling  to  re- 
peat it. 

,  2.  If  those  who  injure  us  are  not  in  our  power,  and  if 
we  cannot  do  them  good  or  evil  in  return  for  their 
injuries,  then  we  must  bear  patiently  and  quietly  what 


?6  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

we  cannot  prevent.  If  we  become  vexed  and  irritated 
against  those  who  show  this  hostility,  we  increase  our 
own  sufferings,  and  perhaps  make  our  enemies  worse 
than  before. 

3.  We  must  not  be  jealous  and  suspicious,  but  always 
ready  to  put  the  most  favorable  construction  upon  what 
we  observe  in  others.  We  ought  to  suppose  that  their 
feelings  are  friendly,  until  we  have  the  most  positive 
proof  that  they  are  not  ;  and  we  must  always  treat  them 
with  kindness  and  good  will,  even  if  we  have  good  cause 
to  doubt  the  kindness  and  good  will  which  they  render 
to  us  in  return. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  an  enemy  ? 

Is  any  one  who  does  us  an  injury  accidentally,  our  enemy? 

If  any  one  gives  us  pain  with  a  design  to  do  us  good,  is  he  an 
enemy? 

What  example  of  an  enemy  is  given  ? 

What  was  the  case  supposed  in  respect  to  the  boys  stealing  the 
farmer's  apples? 

Were  they,  strictly  speaking,  his  enemies? 

What  is  the  case  supposed  in  which  they  would  be  his  enemies? 

Is  it  ever  right  for  us  to  be  the  enemy  of  any  person  ? 

What  is  the  first  impulse  which  people  generally  feel  when  any 
one  does  them  an  injury? 

What  is  this  called? 

Does  retaliation  do  any  good? 

Does  it  do  any  injury?     What  injury? 

Relate  the  story  of  the  boy  who  broke  the  window. 

Suppose  the  person  who  is  injured  has  no  power  to  do  the  one 
who  injures  him  either  good  or  evil :  what  is  his  duty? 

Do  such  cases  often  occur  among  boys? 

Can  you  state  the  general  rules  given  at  the  end  of  the  lesson? 


PROFANITY. 

In  common  conversation  and  in  anger,  we  often  hear  the  name 
of  God  used  irreverently.  It  is  taking  His  name  in  vain,  and 
it  is  wicked.  This  is  profanity. 

THE  habit  of  profane  swearing  is  a  most  detestable 
one,  and  adds  no  force  to  language.  It  is  very  com- 
mon among  boys,  even  very  young  boys.  The  mind 
easily  catches  that  which  is  evil,  and  retains  it  in  the 
memory.  The  habit  of  swearing,  if  acquired  in  boyhood, 
is  apt  to  cling  to  one  all  through  life.  Many  men  are 
so  careless  of  their  example,  that  they  swear  in  the 
presence  of  young  boys,  who,  unless  they  are  on  their 
guard,  will  quickly  form  the  habit  also.  There  seems 
to  be  an  impression  that  seamen  especially  are  excusa- 
ble for  swearing ;  and  it  has  been  said  that  common 
sailors  will  not  do  their  best  work  unless  the  officer 
swears  at  them.  But  there  are  sea-captains  who  do 
not  swear  in  'giving  their  orders ;  and  it  is  not  true 
that  an  order  which  is  given  with  an  oath  has  more 
force  and  is  more  likely  to  be  obeyed. 

There  are  many  persons  so  unwilling  to  take  the 
name  of  God  on  their  lips,  except  in  worship,  that 
they  will  not  take  the  judicial  oath  before  a  magis- 
trate, but  make  a  solemn  affirmation.  We  must  have 
high  respect  for  such  persons,  even  if  we  do  not  adopt 
their  method.  Profanity  is  one  of  the  most  vulgar, 

77 


78  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

vicious,  and  wicked  of  all  vices.  There  is  absolutely 
no  reason  or  justification  for  it.  "Other  sins  offer  at 
least  some  appearance  of  pleasure,  or  some  poor  excuse 
of  temptation  :  this  sin  of  swearing  offers  none."1  Men 
say  they  do  it  thoughtlessly  and  do  not  mean  anything 
by  it.  Boys  take  it  up  because  they  hear  men  swear, 
and  they  think  it  is  manly.  It  is  not  manly ;  it  is  mean. 
Nothing  is  more  awful  than  to  hear  from  thoughtless, 
flippant  lips,  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  uttered  as  an  oath. 
And  when  such  words  come  from  the  lips  of  a  boy,  they 
are  appalling.  Would  any  boy  dare  to  swear  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  mother  ?  How  very  unreasonably  wicked 
it  is  for  men  or  boys  to  cultivate  or  indulge  habits  of 
speech  so  immoral,  that  no  lady  could  properly  imitate 
them !  And  how  low  and  degrading  is  this  vice  of 
profane  swearing !  It  is  the  language  of  low  and 
ill-bred  people.  The  use  of  it  always  lowers  one  in 
the  estimation  of  those  whose  good  opinion  is  worth 
having. 

There  are  few  habits  into  which  a  boy  may  fall,  so 
utterly  ruinous  to  him,  as  the  use  of  profane  language. 
It  seems  to  destroy  the  fine  sensibilities,  the  best  affec- 
tions and  generous  feelings.  Such  a  boy  knows  that 
he  is  doing  something  which  is  wrong,  something  he  is 
afraid  to  have  his  parents  and  best  friends  know,  and 
he  loses  that  frankness  and  open-heartedness  which  a 
manly  boy  enjoys. 

This  vice  seems  to  lead  to  other  vices.  It  deadens 
conscience,  and  makes  one  so  reckless  of  everything 
that  is  delicate  and  high-minded,  that  the  profane  boy 

1  Farrar. 


PROFANITY.  79 

is  very  likely  to  grow  to  be  a  rough,  coarse  man.  Very 
probably  he  will  add  other  vices  to  this,  such  as  drink- 
ing, gambling  and  other  kinds  of  dissipation. 

The  influence  of  this  wicked  practice  is  so  destructive 
of  everything  estimable  in  character,  that  a  boy  who  is 
in  the  habit  of  profanity  is  not  a  fit  companion  for  other 
boys,  and  should  be  banished  from  the  playground  and 
the  school.  He  is  contaminating  every  one  who  asso- 
ciates with  him. 

God's  name  may  be  taken  in  vain  by  the  irreverent 
repeating  of  a  prayer,  or  by  thoughtless  trifling  in  sing- 
ing a  hymn  or  saying  a  grace  at  table. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  profanity  without  spoken 
words.  One  may  swear  in  his  mind  without  speaking. 
There  is  much  of  this  kind  of  swearing  when  people 
are  in  a  passion,  or  under  some  high  provocation.  Now 
this  is  not  quite  so  bad  as  spoken  words,  because  the 
evil  is  confined  to  the  person  who  has  such  thoughts ; 
but  it  is  a  great  sin  against  God,  and  the  stain  of 
every  such  thought  is  left  on  the  mind,  and  cannot 
easily  be  erased.  You  cannot  take  a  live  coal  in  your 
hand  and  not  be  burned ;  you  cannot  touch  pitch  and 
not  be  defiled.  Avoid  this  most  senseless  of  all  vices  ; 
and  if  any  boy  has  unfortunately  fallen  into  it  already, 
let  him  break  it  off,  no  matter  what  it  costs  him.  Other- 
wise, his  example  may  be  eagerly  copied  by  those  who 
are  younger  than  he,  and  he  will  do  much  evil  by  the 
indulgence  of  this  most  pernicious  habit. 

When  the  American  army  were  at  their  winter- 
quarters  in  New  Jersey,  during  the  Revolutionary  War, 
General  Washington  one  day  invited  his  staff -officers 
to  dine  with  him.  The  use  of  profane  language  was 


80  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

then  very  common  among  the  officers  of  the  army. 
One  of  them  uttered  an  oath  at  the  table.  General 
Washington  suddenly  laid  his  knife  and  fork  upon  the 
table  in  such  a  way  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  every 
guest,  and  raising  his  hands,  exclaimed,  "I  really  thought 
that  I  had  invited  none  but  gentlemen  to  dine  with  me." 
The  reproof  was  of  course  deeply  felt,  and  exerted  a 
very  great  influence  in  checking  the  vulgar  and  despic- 
able vice. 

Remember  that  God  hears  every  word  you  say ;  and 
you  cannot  give  utterance  to  a  profane  or  indelicate 
word,  without  destroying  the  delicacy  of  your  feelings 
and  paving  the  way  to  ruin.  And  what  a  terrible 
thought  it  is  that  a  child  would  never  swear  if  it  did 
not  hear  other  people  swear !  What  an  awful  sin  lies 
on  the  consciences  of  those  who  swear  in  the  presence 
of  children,  knowing  full  well  that  those  children  will 
themselves  swear,  when  they  are  not  afraid  of  being 
punished !  How  can  a  father  punish  his  boy  for  profan- 
ity when  he  is  himself  profane  ? 

-"  It  chills  my  heart  to  hear  the  blest  Supreme 
Lightly  appealed  to  on  each  trifling  theme. 
Maintain  your  rank,  vulgarity  despise. 
To  swear  is  neither  brave,  polite,  nor  wise." 

—  COWPER. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  profanity? 

Is  it  common? 

Is  it  right  or  wrong? 

Do  we  easily  fall  into  evil  speech  ? 

Do  we  learn  it  by  example  ? 

Is  profane  swearing  justifiable? 

Can  it  be  necessary? 


PROFANITY.  8 1 

Is  the  habit  acquired  when  we  are  young? 

Can  God's  name  be  taken  in  vain  in  prayer  ?   Or  in  singing  hymns  ? 
Can  one  swear  without  speaking  the  words  ? 
Is  this  as  bad  as  spoken  oaths  ? 

What  is  the  story  of  General  Washington  at  his  dinner-table? 
What  effect  is  swearing  likely  to  have  on  the  character? 
Is  it  likely  to  lead  to  other  vices  ? 

Is  a  profane  boy  a  fit  companion  for  others  in  school  or  on  the 
playground  ? 

Do  boys  think  it  manly  to  swear? 


CONSCIENCE. 

That  inward  feeling  which  makes  us  peaceful  and  happy  when 
we  do  right,  and  which  condemns  us  when  we  do  wrong,  is 
conscience. 

CONSCIENCE  is  very  faithful ;  it  tells  us  what  we  ought 
to  do  and  what  we  ought  not  to  do.  There  are  several 
ways  in  which  conscience  is  faithful  to  us. 

I.  Conscience  warns  us,  before  we  begin  to  do  wrong. 
Do  you  know  what  warning  means  ?  If  a  man  were  to 
see  a  little  girl  going  towards  a  deep  well,  with  nothing 
around  it  to  keep  her  from  falling  in,  and  should  tell 
her  to  take  care  and  not  go  there,  —  that  would  be  warn- 
ing her.  So  conscience  warns  us.  When  we  are  about 
to  do  anything  wrong,  — yes,  when  we  are  just  beginning 
to  think  of  doing  wrong,  —  conscience  warns  us  not  to 
do  it. 

A  boy  was  playing  in  the  yard,  and  he  found  by  the 
side  of  the  fence  a  large  red  apple.  He  put  it  in  his 
pocket.  He  knew  that  it  belonged  to  another  boy  ;  but 
he  thought  he  would  carry  it  away  alone,  and  eat  it 
after  school.  Just  then  the  bell  rang.  He  went  in  and 
took  his  seat,  with  the  apple  in  his  pocket. 

All  that  afternoon  he  was  restless  and  uneasy.    There 

was  something  in  his  heart  which  seemed  to  say,  "  That 

apple  is  not  yours ;   you  must  not  keep  it.     You  must 

not  eat  it  after  school."     This  was  conscience  warning 

82 


CONSCIENCE.  83 

him  not  to  do  wrong.  For  he  had  not  yet  actually  done 
anything  outwardly  wrong.  The  apple  was  safe  in  his 
pocket.  He  had  not  yet  had  an  opportunity  to  give  it 
to  the  boy  to  whom  it  belonged.  He  had  not  yet  begun 
to  carry  it  away  to  a  secret  place  to  eat  it.  But  conscience 
looked  forward  to,  and  warned  him  against  the  dishonest 
act  which  he  was  going  to  do.  He  tried  to  amuse  him- 
self by  thinking  of  something  else ;  but  conscience 
would  not  let  him  rest ;  until,  just  before  school  was 
over,  he  resolved  that  he  would  carry  the  apple  to  the 
boy  who  owned  it.  Then  his  mind  was  relieved,  and 
he  became  quiet  in  spirit  and  happy  again. 

2.  Conscience  remonstrates  while  we  are  doing  wrong. 
Do  you  know  what  remonstrates  means  ?     Some  chil- 
dren walking  in  a  garden,  go  to  a  tree  and  get  some 
apples  which  are  not  ripe,  and  which  their  father  has 
forbidden  them  to  take.     One   of   the   children,  more 
obedient  than  the  rest,  says,  "  You  must  not  take  those 
apples ;  it  is  wrong  ;  you  ought  not  to  disobey  father." 
This   is    remonstrating.       So    conscience    remonstrates 
when  we  are  doing  anything  wrong.     We  feel  uneasy 
and  unhappy  while  we  are  doing  it ;  and  we  cannot  help 
thinking  that  it  is  wrong,  and  that  we  ought  not  to  do  it. 

3.  Conscience    reproaches    us    after   we    have    done 
wrong,  and  makes  us  anxious,  unhappy  and  afraid.     We 
are  afraid  that  somebody  saw  us,  or  will  find  out  the 
wrong  we  have  done.     We  are  unhappy.     We  cannot 
help  thinking  of  the   sin,  though  we  try  to  forget  it. 
When   we   are  alone,  conscience  reproaches  us ;  it  re- 
minds us  of  our  guilt,  and  we  feel  ashamed  and  wretched. 
We  are  afraid.     We  dare  not  be  alone.     We  know  that 
we  have  done  wrong,  and  our  hearts  sink  with  fear. 


84  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

How  much  better  it  would  be  for  us  always  to  do  right, 
than  thus  to  wound  the  conscience,  and  load  our  hearts 
with  anxiety  and  suffering. 

y  4.  Conscience  becomes  quiet  again  when  we  confess 
the  wrong  that  we  have  done,  and  resolve  to  do  so  no 
more.  Probably  the  principal  reason  why  conscience  is 
given  us,  is  to  prevent  our  doing  wrong ;  and  so,  when 
we  cease  to  do  wrong,  it  ceases  to  give  us  pain. 

When  a  boy  is  only  intending  to  do  something  wrong, 
but  has  not  yet  begun  to  do  it,  and  his  conscience  is 
warning  him,  and  making  him  feel  restless  and  uneasy, 
he  can  very  easily  quiet  its  warnings,  and  obtain  peace 
of  mind  again,  by  giving  up  his  thought  of  doing  wrong, 
and  determining  to  do  right.  When  he  has  already 
done  wrong,  and  injured  any  one  by  it,  —  if  he  will  de- 
termine to  do  so  no  more,  and  confess  his  fault,  and 
make  reparation  for  the  injury — then  he  will  be  happy 
again. 

A  boy  found  a  piece  of  money  in  his  mother's  bureau 
drawer.  He  took  it  and  determined  to  keep  it  himself. 
He  thought  if  his  father  should  ask  him  where  he  got 
it,  he  could  tell  him  that  he  found  it.  "  For,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "  I  did  find  it  in  the  drawer."  His  father  did 
ask  him,  when  he  saw  him  playing  with  the  money  ;  and 
he  told  him  that  he  had  found  it.  He  felt  guilty  when 
he  took  the  money.  He  felt  still  more  guilty  when  he 
told  his  father  that  he  had  found  it  Then  his  father 
asked  him  where  he  found  it.  He  had  not  expected 
this  question.  He  was  confounded.  He  answered 
suddenly,  "In  the  street."  His  father  wondered  who 
could  have  lost  it,  but  said  no  more,  and  so  the  boy 
escaped  detection. 


CONSCIENCE.  85 

But  though  he  was  pleased  that  he  was  not  detected, 
his  sense  of  guilt  made  him  miserable.  Every  time  he 
felt  the  money  in  his  pocket,  the  touch  seemed  to  arouse 
his  conscience  to  reproach  him. 

If  he  had  gone  at  once  and  returned  the  money  to 
his  father,  and  confessed  that  he  did  not  find  it  in  the 
street,  but  that  he  took  it  from  his  mother's  drawer,  he 
might  have  been  happy  again.  Instead  of  that  he  went 
and  bought  nuts  with  it.  Some  of  the  nuts  he  ate,  and 
the  rest  he  gave  to  other  boys.  Thus  he  fixed  the 
feelings  of  guilt  and  wretchedness  in  his  mind  ;  he  made 
conscience  his  enemy,  and  prepared  himself  to  commit 
greater  crimes. 

A  boy  once  suffered  for  many  months  from  the  re- 
proaches of  conscience  ;  and  he  at  last  quieted  her  voice 
and  regained  his  peace  of  mind  by  confessing  his  sin 
and  making  reparation.  The  case  was  this  :  one  night 
he  climbed  over  into  a  gentleman's  garden,  not  far  from 
the  village  where  he  lived,  to  get  some  plums.  He  got 
his  cap  full  of  sweet  plums,  and  came  back  safely. 
Conscience  warned  him  not  to  go ;  conscience  remon- 
strated with  him  while  he  was  going,  and  while  he  was 
upon  the  tree ;  and  conscience  bitterly  reproached  him 
after  the  deed  was  done.  The  poor  boy  found  that  for 
the  sake  of  a  few  plums  he  had  almost  entirely  destroyed 
his  peace  of  mind.  He  often  thought  of  his  sin  at 
night  and  when  he  was  alone.  He  was  always  afraid 
when  he  met  the  gentleman  to  whom  the  garden  be- 
longed ;  and  the  lane  where  before  he  always  liked  to 
walk  and  play,  now  made  him  feel  so  wretched,  that  he 
kept  away  from  it  entirely. 

At  last,  one  day,  he  went  to  the  gentleman  and  told 


86  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

him  what  he  had  done.  He  said  he  had  no  money  to 
pay  for  the  plums,  but  if  the  gentleman  would  let  him 
work  for  him  or  do  errands  to  make  reparation,  he 
would  be  glad  to  do  it. 

The  gentleman  said  that  he  was  very  glad  that  the 
boy  had  come  and  confessed  his  fault ;  that  he  would 
willingly  forgive  him ;  and  that  he  need  not  come  and 
work  for  him,  for  he  did  not  wish  him  to  make  any 
reparation.  But  the  boy  replied  that  he  wanted  very 
much  to  pay  him  for  the  plums,  and  that  if  the  gentle- 
man had  any  work  for  him  to  do,  he  wished  he  would 
let  him  do  it.  So  the  gentleman  let  him  work  for  him 
two  hours  one  afternoon.  By  this  means  the  boy's 
peace  of  mind  was  restored ;  and  he  loved  to  play  in  the 
green  lane  as  well  as  ever. 

Thus  conscience  utters  warnings  and  remonstrances, 
to  prevent  us  from  doing  wrong.  And  if  we  will  cease 
to  do  wrong  and  be  faithful  in  doing  our  duty,  she  will 
restore  our  peace  of  mind,  and  cheer  and  encourage  us 
by  her  approval.  Peace  of  mind  and  a  quiet  con- 
science are  of  inestimable  value.  Without  these,  all 
other  means  of  enjoyment  will  fail  of  making  us  happy  ; 
and  with  them,  whatever  other  privation  we  may  suf- 
fer, life  will  pass  pleasantly. 


QUESTIONS. 
What  is  conscience  ? 
What  is  warning? 

What  does  conscience  do  when  we  think  of  doing  wrong? 
What  is  the  story  of  the  boy  and  the  apple  ? 
What  should  we  do  when  we  find  anything? 
What  does  conscience  do  while  we  are  doing  wrong? 


CONSCIENCE.  87 

What  does  conscience  do  after  the  wrong  is  done  ? 

What  brings  peace  of  mind  ? 

What  is  the  story  of  the  piece  of  money? 

What  did  the  boy  gain  ? 

What  did  the  boy  lose? 

What  is  making  reparation? 

What  is  the  story  of  the  plums  ? 

What  did  that  boy  gain  ? 

What  did  he  lose? 

What  does  this  story  illustrate  ? 

Is  peace  of  mind  desirable  ? 


TWITSRSITT. 

^iws*^ 


CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

Conscientiousness  is  obeying  conscience.  It  is  being  strict  and 
faithful  in  doing  what  is  right,  with  a  determination  not  to  do 
what  is  wrong,  —  conscience  being  the  judge. 

OUR  last  lesson  explained,  in  general,  the  nature  and 
powers  of  conscience.  One  who  is  conscientious  will 
obey  this  voice  strictly  in  regard  to  all  his  duties. 
Whenever  he  has  a  secret  feeling  that  anything  which 
he  is  tempted  to  do  is  wrong,  he  will  not  do  it ;  and 
on  the  other  hand,  whatever  he  inwardly  feels  to  be 
his  duty,  that  he  will  at  all  times  faithfully  perform. 

A  fixed  and  steady  principle  of  conscientiousness, 
with  the  Divine  help,  is  the  only  safe  guide ;  for  it  is 
plain  that  any  rules  of  conduct  which  can  be  given 
must  be  very  general.  As  to  almost  all  the  particular 
acts  which  we  perform,  their  being  right  or  wrong 
depends  upon  the  circumstances  of  each  case,  and  upon 
the  secret  intention.  A  boy  on  his  way  to  school  is 
standing  still,  in  the  street.  Is  he  doing  right  or  wrong  ? 
If  you  say  he  is  doing  wrong,  it  may  be  answered,  per- 
haps not ;  he  may  be  waiting  for  his  little  brother  who 
is  behind,  having  ample  time  yet  to  get  to  school  in 
season.  Do  you  say  he  is  doing  right !  Perhaps  not. 
It  may  be  that  he  is  idling  away  his  time,  watching  a 
monkey  on  a  hand-organ;  or  looking  to  see  if  some 
other  boys  are  coming,  that  he  may  stop  and  play  with 
88 


CONSCIENTIOUSNESS.  89 

them  upon  the  way ;  and  he  may  be  late  at  school. 
Thus  the  guilt  or  the  innocence  of  the  act  depends  upon 
the  intention  of  his  mind. 

Two  boys  in  the  winter,  come  to  a  pond.  One  road 
leads  around  the  pond,  and  the  other  goes  across, 
upon  the  ice.  Neither  of  the  boys  has  received  any 
directions  from  his  father  which  way  to  go.  One  sup- 
poses his  father  would  prefer  him  to  go  around  the 
pond,  notwithstanding  the  distance,  rather  than  venture 
upon  the  ice.  The  other  supposes  that  his  father  con- 
siders the  ice  perfectly  safe,  and  would  wish  to  have 
him  go  across  it  to  save  time.  If  the  two  boys  go  down 
to  the  shore,  and  one  after  the  other  goes  upon  the  ice, 
we  should  see  no  difference  between  them.  One  acts 
just  like  the  other.  All  that  we  see  in  both  cases  is 
the  same ;  but  the  act,  though  apparently  the  same  in 
each,  would  be  right  in  the  case  of  one  boy,  and  wrong 
in  the  other. 

Thus  it  is  with  most  of  our  actions.  Whether  they 
are  right  or  wrong  cannot  be  decided  by  their  outward 
appearance.  It  depends  upon  circumstances  seen  and 
unseen,  and  upon  the  hidden  intent  and  purpose  of  the 
mind.  Rules,  therefore,  cannot  be  given  to  govern 
every  case.  Conscience,  or  the  inward  sense  of  right 
and  wrong,  will  decide.  This  power  of  our  minds  will 
be  ready  to  act  in  each  particular  instance,  and  will  vary 
its  directions  according  to  the  nature  of  the  case.  It 
will  tell  one  boy,  who  is  standing  still,  on  his  way  to 
school  waiting  for  his  little  brother,  that  he  is  right.  It 
will  tell  the  other,  who  is  standing  the  next  day  in  the 
same  place,  and  in  the  same  attitude,  that  he  is  wrong. 

When  the  two  boys  come  down  to  the  shore,  con- 


QO  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

science  will  discriminate  between  the  cases,  and  say  to 
one  that  if  he  wishes  to  be  dutiful  and  obedient  as  a 
son,  he  must  not  go  around  the  pond,  —  he  must  go 
across  ;  and  to  the  other,  that  if  he  would  be  dutiful  and 
obedient,  he  must  not  go  across,  but  around.  Whoever 
desires  to  obey  this  inward  monitor, — and  wishes, 
wherever  there  is  a  right  and  a  wrong,  to  do  the  right, 
and  to  avoid  the  wrong,  —  is  conscientious.  He  is  gov- 
erned by  his  sense  of  duty. 

Conscientiousness  is  a  right  principle  of  action,  and 
it  ought  to  be  the  strongest.  There  are,  however, 
many  other  principles.  In  other  words,  if  we  do  any- 
thing because  we  ought  to  do  it,  or  if  we  do  not  do  it 
because  we  ought  not  to  do  it,  we  are  conscientious ; 
but  there  may  be  many  other  motives  for  doing  or  not 
doing  things.  And  many  of  them  are  right  motives. 
It  is  not  wrong  to  be  influenced  by  them;  but  then 
we  must  not  mistake  them  for  conscientiousness,  and 
flatter  ourselves  that  we  are  acting  from  a  sense  of 
duty  when  we  are  not.  A  boy  may  study  diligently  in 
school  in  order  to  get  a  prize,  or  to  rise  in  the  class. 
This  is  not  wrong ;  but  it  is  very  different  from  being 
led  to  study  by  a  sense  of  duty.  A  boy  may  be  very 
industrious  in  gathering  apples  in  an  orchard  for  several 
days,  because  his  father  has  promised  him  one  bushel 
for  every  ten  he  gathers.  It  is  all  very  well  for  him  to 
be  influenced  by  such  a  motive,  but  yet  the  motive  is 
not  a  sense  of  duty,  —  it  is  hope  of  reward.  There  are 
many  other  motives  which  very  properly  influence  us, 
but  they  are  not  sense  of  duty.  A  sense  of  duty  may 
indeed  mingle  with  them,  and  often  does.  The  boy 
in  gathering  his  apples  may  be  diligent  and  faithful, 


CONSCIENTIOUSNESS.  QI 

partly  because  he  knows  he  ought  to  be,  and  partly 
as  a  means  of  obtaining  the  pay.  Most  good  boys 
would  be  faithful  under  the  influence  of  such  a  double 
motive,  in  such  a  case.  And  generally,  the  various 
motives  unite  and  mingle  their  influences,  in  governing 
our  conduct ;  and  it  sometimes  requires  much  skill  and 
pains  to  separate  them,  when  we  are  studying  our  own 
characters,  or  investigating  the  motives  of  our  conduct. 

There  is  one  motive  that  young  people  very  often 
mistake  for  conscientiousness,  and  that  is,  the  wish  to 
be  approved  by  their  parents  and  teachers.  This  is  a 
good  motive.  It  is  right  for  a  child  to  wish  to  enjoy 
the  approbation  and  praise  of  his  father  and  mother. 
Suppose  they  give  him,  on  some  afternoon  in  the  spring, 
the  work  of  putting  the  yard  in  order,  and  raking  it  over 
smoothly.  He  works  industriously  for  several  hours, 
thinking  how  pleased  his  parents  will  be  to  see  how 
neatly  he  has  done  his  task.  It  is  the  hope  of  his 
parents'  approval  which  animates  him.  True,  he  does 
what  is  right,  but  he  does  not  do  it  simply  because  it  is 
right,  but  because  he  loves  to  see  his  father  and  mother 
pleased.  Now,  this  is  a  very  good  motive,  —  only  it  is 
of  a  different  kind  from  conscientiousness. 

But,  now,  if  he  should  put  the  yard  in  order  as  faith- 
fully and  carefully,  at  some  time  when  his  father  and 
mother  were  away  upon  a  journey,  and  when  there  was 
nobody  at  home  to  take  any  interest  in  his  work,  and 
when  his  motive  for  doing  so  would  be  simply  because 
it  was  his  duty  to  do  it,  and  without  any  hope  of  reward 
or  praise,  —  this  would  be  acting  from  conscientious- 
ness, or  a  sense  of  duty.  This  is  a  higher  motive  than 
the  other.  It  is  more  noble.  He  who  is  under  the 


92  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

habitual  control  of  it  has  an  inward  principle  of  moral 
energy,  which  carries  him  onward,  whether  he  is  noticed 
and  praised  or  not.  He  may  like  to  be  noticed  and 
praised,  by  his  parents  and  teachers.  It  is  very  right 
that  he  should  value  their  good  opinion.  But  he  goes 
on  doing  his  duty  the  same,  when  he  expects,  and  when 
he  does  not  expect  it.  And  thus,  when  he  leaves  home, 
and  goes  among  people,  who  would  perhaps  praise  him 
for  doing  wrong,  he  is  not  led  astray  by  it.  His  con- 
trolling principle  is  a  determination  to  do  what  is  right. 

Thus  conscientiousness  is  a  very  elevated  and  noble 
principle  of  action.  But  it  may  be  diseased  and  so  lead 
a  person  astray.  A  boy  may  be  so  anxious  and  afraid 
lest  he  should  do  wrong  in  some  cases,  as  to  be  pre- 
vented from  doing  right.  Persons  sometimes  carry 
their  scrupulousness  so  far,  as  to  make  it  a  source  of 
unnecessary  inconvenience  and  trouble  to  themselves 
and  their  friends.  There  are  several  ways  in  which 
such  a  spirit  may  show  itself. 

Sometimes  persons  have  a  morbid  or  diseased  con- 
scientiousness, in  respect  to  truth.  They  are  afraid 
to  say  that  a  thing  is,  or  that  it  is  not,  because  they 
are  not  absolutely  certain.  A  man,  away  from  home, 
is  asked  if  his  family  is  well.  He  is  afraid  to  say 
"Yes,"  because  he  is  not  sure  that  something  may  not 
have  happened  since  he  left  home,  half  an  hour  before, 
—  and  so  he  would  be  very  careful  to  say  that  he 
believed  they  were  well,  or  that  they  were  well  when 
he  left  home.  There  are  many  such  cases,  where  we 
say  that  a  thing  is  true,  when  we  have  evidence  that  it  is 
true,  even  although  it  is  barely  possible  that  it  may  be 
otherwise,  Thus,  a  boy  carrying  his  dinner  along  to 


CONSCIENTIOUSNESS.  93 

school  tells  another  boy  that  he  is  going  to  stay  at 
noon  ;  or  says  that  his  sister,  who  is  coming  behind 
him,  has  two  apples  in  her  basket ;  —  or,  a  man  who  has 
made  all  his  arrangements  for  taking  a  journey  to  the 
city  the  next  day,  says  to  his  neighbors,  that  he  shall 
certainly  go,  whatever  the  weather  may  be;  or  he 
might  say,  that  he  should  probably  be  back  in  a  week, 
and  certainly  in  a  fortnight.  Or,  if  he  were  standing 
by  a  fording-place  in  a  river,  where  he  had  often  crossed, 
and  a  traveller  should  come  down  and  inquire,  he  might 
say  that  it  was  perfectly  safe.  In  all  these  cases,  it  is 
right  to  assert  positively ;  and  yet  strictly  speaking,  the 
certainty  is  not  absolute.  In  the  last  case,  for  instance, 
it  is  barely  possible  that  the  current,  or  some  other 
cause,  may  have  so  altered  the  bed  of  the  river,  since 
the  man  crossed,  as  to  make  it  not  perfectly  safe  now. 
Still,  the  probability  of  this  is  so  faint,  that  it  is  not  to 
be  regarded.  The  doubt  is  so  small  that  we  cannot 
express  it,  without  expressing  too  much.  If  we  say,  in 
such  a  case,  that  we  suppose  the  ford  is  safe,  or  we  have 
very  little  doubt  that  it  is  safe,  we  make  the  traveller 
think  there  is  some  appreciable  danger.  So  we  convey 
a  wrong  meaning  by  being  too  anxious  to  convey  ex- 
actly the  right  one.  '  We  must  therefore  use  language 
in  all  such  cases  just  as  other  persons  use  it,  and  they 
will  understand  us.  When  we  say,  in  ordinary  con- 
versation, that  a  thing  is  so,  or  that  it  is'  not  so,  all 
that  we  mean,  and  all  that  other  persons  understand  us 
to  mean,  is,  that  we  have  satisfactory  reasons  for  believ- 
ing that  it  is  as  we  say.  Extraordinary  possibilities  are 
not  taken  into  account.  Conscientiousness  in  regard  to 
all  duties,  ought  to  be  enlightened  and  reasonable.  We 


94  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

must  not  be  excessively  scrupulous  about  trifling  things 
and  little  points  of  form ;  but  our  sense  of  duty  must 
rest  on  solid  grounds,  and  we  must  act  in  reference  to 
what  is  essential  in  principle  and  substantial  in  fact. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  conscientiousness  ? 
Can  rules  be  given  for  all  our  conduct  ? 

Does  the  character  of  an  act  always  depend  upon  the  outward 
appearance  of  it  ? 

How  is  this  shown  by  the  boy  on  his  way  to  school  ? 
What  principle  does  this  case  illustrate? 
What  is  the  only  right  principle  of  action  ? 
Name  some  of  the  other  principles  of  action. 
What  motive  may  be  mistaken  for  conscientiousness? 
How  is  this  shown  by  the  boy  working  in  the  yard? 
May  conscientiousness  be  diseased? 
Name  some  instances  of  this. 


DUTY   TO    PARENTS. 

Children  are  dependent  on  their  parents  for  food,  clothing,  and 
instruction.  They  should,  therefore,  submit  to  their  authority, 
and  love  and  honor  them. 

i.  Children  ought  to  submit  to  parental  authority. 
To  submit  is  to  yield  a  willing  and  cheerful  obedience. 
The  child  who  openly  disobeys  his  father  or  mother  is 
guilty  of  great  sin.  He  is  not  submissive.  He  rebels 
against  the  authority  of  his  parents,  and  thus  breaks  the 
command  of  God.  So  with  the  child  who  secretly  dis- 
obeys. If  we  obey  our  parents  while  in  their  presence, 
and  disobey  when  we  are  not  observed,  we  fail  in  our 
duty.  It  is  wrong  to  disobey,  openly  or  secretly,  those 
who  are  placed  over  us  with  the  right  to  command. 

Children  often  show  a  want  of  submission  to  the 
authority  of  their  parents,  when  they  do  not  actually 
disobey  them,  either  openly  or  in  secret.  For,  true  sub- 
mission  will  lead  them,  not  only  to  obey  commands,  but 
to  do  it  cheerfully  and  pleasantly.  If  a  child,  when  her 
mother  calls  her  in  from  play,  comes  in  with  a  discon- 
tented and  ill-natured  look,  she  is  not  submissive.  She 
is  not  openly  disobedient,  but  her  heart  rebels.  It  is 
wrong  to  allow  even  the  heart  to  rebel  against  a  father 
or  mother. 

It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  children  should  not 
only  be  clothed,  fed,  sheltered,  and  instructed  in  duty, 

95 


96  A    PRIMER   OF    ETHICS. 

but  that  they  should  be  governed.  We  see  this  neces- 
sity very  early.  Just  so  soon  as  the  young  child  begins 
to  act  at  all,  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  be  controlled. 
He  is  creeping  upon  the  floor,  perhaps,  scrambling  along 
as  fast  as  he  can  go  towards  the  fire.  Now,  will  it  do 
to  argue  with  him  ?  Will  it  do  to  instruct  him  ?  Will 
it  do  to  persuade  him  ?  No ;  nothing  will  do  but  to 
control  him.  He  must  be  stopped  by  authority,  if  he 
has  been  taught  to  submit  to  authority ;  and,  if  not,  by 
force.  His  mother  must  say  sternly,  "  No,  no, — you 
must  not  go  there."  He  cannot  understand  the  words  ; 
but  he  may  understand  the  look  and  tone  and  manner, 
and  may  voluntarily  submit  to  authority.  If  not,  he 
must  be  turned  away  from  danger  by  force. 

When  children  grow  older,  there  is  no  longer  any 
need  of  parental  authority  to  keep  them  from  going 
into  the  fire.  That  danger  they  have  learned  to  under- 
stand and  avoid.  But  there  are  other  dangers  which 
they  are  apt  to  run  into.  A  boy  of  ten  years  of  age 
wants  to  be  out  in  the  streets  in  the  evenings  to  play 
with  other  boys.  If  he  is  allowed  to  do  it,  unless  he  is 
in  good  company,  it  will  be  very  likely  to  corrupt  and 
ruin  him.  He  cannot  see  the  danger.  It  is  concealed 
from  his  view.  He  cannot  be  convinced  that  it  is  un- 
safe;  he  cannot  be  persuaded  to  give  up  his  wish  to  be 
out  at  night  without  leave.  He  must  be  controlled. 
His  parents  must  have  authority,  not  arguments,  to 
depend  upon ;  or  else  he  will  burn  himself  with  a  fire 
far  worse  than  that  in  the  stove. 

There  are  many  difficulties  and  dangers  that  children 
are  exposed  to,  which  they  cannot  see  or  understand. 
And  in  the  same  manner,  they  cannot  see  the  necessity 


DUTY    TO    PARENTS.  97 

or  value  of  the  instruction  which  it  is  necessary  for 
them  to  receive.  When  they  are  learning  the  alphabet, 
how  little  idea  can  they  form  of  the  pleasures  and  ad- 
vantages of  being  able  to  read  !  It  is  the  same  with  all 
the  studies  of  later  years.  Children  cannot  realize  the 
value  of  knowledge  sufficiently  to  induce  them,  of  their 
own  accord,  to  make  the  necessary  effort  to  obtain  it. 

If  young  people  were  allowed  to  do  as  they  please 
about  attending  to  their  studies,  how  soon  would  spell- 
ing-books and  slates  be  laid  aside,  and  the  schoolrooms 
deserted !  It  is  not  reasonable  to  expect  in  children, 
the  foresight  and  the  consideration  and  the  firmness  of 
purpose  necessary  to  induce  them,  of  their  own  accord, 
to  make  the  effort,  and  submit  to  the  self-denial,  nec- 
essary to  acquire  knowledge  and  to  form  virtuous 
habits.  Very  few  children  will  take  medicine  when 
they  are  sick,  unless  they  have  been  trained  to  obedience. 
It  is  absolutely  necessary,  therefore,  that  children  should 
be  controlled  by  parental  authority.  They  ought  to  see 
and  acknowledge  the  necessity,  and  always  submit 
readily  and  cheerfully. 

2.  Children  should  respect  and  honor  their  father  and 
mother.  It  is  very  wrong  ever  to  speak  disrespectfully 
to  them.  Children  often  do  this,  sometimes  when  they 
are  displeased,  and  sometimes  from  thoughtlessness. 
But  it  is  always  wrong.  If  they  answer  their  parents 
in  an  ill-natured  manner,  or  express  feelings  of  dislike 
or  resentment,  or  make  them  subjects  of  jest  or  ridi- 
cule, or  trifle  with  their  feelings  in  any  way,  they  do 
wrong.  Such  treatment  is  entirely  inconsistent  with 
the  principles  which  ought  to  govern  the  intercourse 
between  the  child  and  its  parent. 


98  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

It  is  wrong,  also,  to  be  disrespectful  towards  parents  in 
speaking  of  them  to  others.  If  a  child,  whose  mother  had 
told  him  to  do  something  which  he  did  not  like  to  do,  were 
to  control  his  displeasure  while  in  her  presence,  and  then 
go  into  another  room,  or  out  of  doors,  and  use  disrespect- 
ful or  contemptuous  expressions  in  speaking  of  her,  he 
would  do  very  wrong.  He  would  break  God's  command, 
which  requires  him  to  honor  his  father  and  mother. 

Children  should  treat  their  parents  with  respect  as 
well  in  their  manner  towards  them,  as  in  their  words ; 
that  is,  be  silent  when  they  are  speaking ;  come  at  once 
when  they  call ;  bring  them  a  seat  when  they  are  stand- 
ing ;  not  come  in  their  way  when  they  are  busy ;  nor 
interrupt  them  when  they  are  reading  ;  nor  be  eager  to 
argue  with  them,  nor  contradict  anything  they  say.  By 
observing  these  principles  and  treating  parents  with 
respectful  attention,  children  can  give  them  great  pleas- 
ure. For  nothing  gives  parents  higher  enjoyment  than 
to  be  honored  by  their  children. 

3.  Children  ought  to  give  very  ready  and  careful 
attention  to  their  parents'  instructions.  They  are  very 
dependent  for  all  they  learn,  upon  the  instruction  which 
their  parents  give  them,  and  they  ought  to  receive  these 
instructions  with  docility  and  readiness.  And  yet, 
sometimes  children  do  not  wish  to  learn  what  their 
parents  teach  them.  Sometimes  they  think  there  is  a 
better  way  than  that  which  they  recommend ;  so  they 
do  not  follow  their  directions.  There  was  a  boy  who 
was  left-handed.  He  had  had  great  inconvenience  and 
trouble  from  it.  When  he  was  very  young,  his  mother 
told  him  that  it  would  be  better  for  him  to  learn  to  use 
his  right  hand.  She  tried  to  persuade  him  to  change 


DUTY    TO    PARENTS.  99 

the  habit  which  he  was  gradually  forming  of  giving  his 
left  hand  the  preference ;  but  he  would  not  make  any 
effort.  He  thought  his  mother  was  mistaken.  He 
could  not  see  why  it  was  not  as  well  to  use  one  hand 
as  another;  and  so  he  went  on,  making  no  effort  to 
change,  until,  at  length,  he  became  incurably  left-handed. 
When  he  grew  up  and  experienced  the  inconvenience 
and  awkwardness  of  his  habit,  he  was  very  sorry  that 
he  had  been  so  foolish  when  he  was  young,  as  to  think 
that  he  knew  better  than  his  mother.  His  repentance 
came  too  late. 

Whatever  a  good  father  or  mother  recommends,  be 
sure  to  do.  Whatever  the  way  may  be  in  which  they 
direct  you  to  do  anything,  do  it  in  that  way.  Whenever 
they  give  you  any  information  or  advice,  listen  to  it 
attentively,  treasure  up  the  information  in  the  mind, 
and  follow  the  advice  faithfully.  This  is  the  only  course 
that  is  wise  and  safe,  and  what  is  more  important  still, 
it  is  the  only  one  that  is  right. 

4.  Children  ought  to  be  grateful  to  their  parents  for 
all  their  kindness  and  care.  It  is  true  that  it  is  the  duty 
of  parents  to  provide  for  their  children  ;  but  in  doing 
it  they  do  not  .act  coldly  and  formally,  as  if  they  were 
merely  discharging  a  duty ;  their  hearts  are  rilled  with 
warm  affection  and  love.  How  tenderly  will  a  mother 
watch  over  her  sick  child  in  its  cradle  !  She  sits  by  its 
side,  gently  soothing  its  uneasiness  and  pain  while  it  is 
awake,  and  watching  it  while  it  sleeps.  She  hushes 
every  noise,  keeps  off  every  breath  of  cold  air,  bathes 
the  little  sufferer's  face  and  hands  to  soothe  its  restless- 
ness, carries  it  back  and  forth  across  the  room  with  its 
cheek  upon  her  shoulder  until  her  arms  ache  with  the 


IOO  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

fatigue,  and  at  midnight  when  she  lies  down  to  rest,  the 
least  movement  at  its  cradle  brings  her  to  its  side. 

When  this  child  has  recovered  from  his  sickness  and 
has  grown  to  be  a  large  boy,  and  his  mother  is  sick  in 
her  turn,  will  he,  instead  of  being  a  comfort  and  a  bless- 
ing, make  himself  a  source  of  trouble  and  care  ?  Will 
he  disturb  her  quiet  by  his  loud  voice  and  noisy  plays, 
and  add  to  the  troubles  of  the  family  by  his  unreasonable 
requests,  his  complaints,  his  fretfulness,  and  his  insubor- 
dination ?  No ;  not  if  he  is  grateful.  He  will  remem- 
ber his  mother's  kindness  and  love  to  him,  and  will  re- 
joice in  the  opportunity  to  make  a  kind  return.  He  will 
be  quiet  and  still.  He  will  move  gently  from  room  to 
room,  trying  to  be  useful,  and  to  do  something  to  express 
his  affectionate  interest  in  her,  who  has  been  so  devoted 
in  her  attachment  to  him.  And  he  will  succeed.  His 
conduct  will  revive  and  cheer  his  mother's  heart. 

When  we  think  how  much  fatigue  and  anxiety  and  suf- 
fering, parents  endure  for  their  children,  it  would  seem 
at  first,  that  they  never  can  be  repaid  ;  yet  when  we  con- 
sider how  much  power  children  have  to  gladden  their 
parents'  hearts  and  lighten  their  labors  and  cares,  by 
kind  and  affectionate  and  dutiful  behavior,  we  are  almost 
ready  to  believe  that  they  may  fully  compensate  them 
day  by  day.  Children  do  not  know  how  much  pain  they 
give  their  parents  by  unkindness,  ingratitude,  and  neg- 
lect; nor  can  they  realize  how  great  a  source  of  enjoy- 
ment they  become,  when  they  are  docile,  obedient, 
dutiful,  and  grateful  for  the  kindnesses  they  receive. 


DUTY   TO    PARENTS.  IOI 


QUESTIONS. 

What  is  the  first  duty  of  children  toward  their  parents  ? 
What  is  it  to  be  submissive  ? 

Is  there  more  than  one  way  of  being  unsubmissive? 
Must  children  be  governed? 
How  early  is  this  necessary? 
Give  an  illustration. 

When  children  grow  older,  must  they  still  be  controlled? 
Why  was  it  right  to  prevent  the  boy  from  playing  in  the  street  in 
the  evening? 

Can  children  be  kept  from  harm  by  persuasion  alone? 

Can  children  understand  the  dangers  to  which  they  are  exposed? 

Would  they  always  avoid  them  if  they  could  ? 

What  is  meant  by  respecting  and  honoring  parents  ? 

In  what  ways  may  children  show  disrespect? 

How  should  children  receive  their  parents'  instructions  ? 

What  reasons  have  children  for  feeling  grateful  to  their  parents  ? 


FORGIVENESS. 

When  a  person  has  suffered  an  injury  from  another,  and  con- 
siders and  treats  the  offender  as  if  he  had  not  done  the  wrong,  — 
this  is  forgiveness. 

THERE  are  three  courses  that  we  can  take  as  to  the 
injuries  done  to  us  by  others.  We  can  forgive  them 
freely  ;  we  can  punish  them  and  also  forgive  ;  we  can 
take  revenge. 

1.  When  we  forgive  an  injury,  we  no  longer  feel  any 
anger  or  ill  will  toward  the  person  who  has  done  it.    We 
consider  how  often  we  ourselves  have  done  wrong,  and 
so  we  forgive  him  who  has  injured  us,  and  dismiss  from 
our  minds  all  thought  of  doing  him  any  injury. 

2.  When  we  deliberately  and  honestly  think  that  the 
evil  which  any  person  has  done,  will  be  likely  to  be  done 
again  by  himself,  or  that  the  example  will  be  imitated  by 
others,  unless  the  guilty  one  suffers  some  penalty  ;  and 
when  we  have  a  right,  by  our  being  the  parent,  or  guar- 
dian, or  teacher  of  the  one  who   has   done  wrong,    to 
inflict  the  penalty  ;  and  when  we  do  it  honestly,  for  the 
sake  of  doing  him  or  others  good,  and  not  to  gratify 
our  bad  passions,  then  we  do  right  to  punish.     Pain  in- 
flicted, not  angrily  as  a  retaliation,  but  calmly  and  delib- 
erately as  a  remedy,  is  punishment.     Some  persons  have 
a  right  to  punish,  and    some  have  not.     Parents  and 
guardians  have  a  right  by  nature  and  by  the  law  of  God 

102 


FORGIVENESS.  103 

to  punish  their  children,  and  masters  have  the  right  by 
law  to  punish  their  apprentices.  Teachers  have  it  by 
delegation,  —  that  is,  parents  and  guardians,  by  sending 
the  children  to  school,  delegate  or  commit  the  right  to 
punish  them  to  the  teacher.  In  all  cases  punishment 
should  be  followed  by  full  forgiveness,  as  soon  as  the 
offender  expresses  his  sorrow  and  repentance. 

3.  Revenge  is  very  different  from  punishment.  It  is 
inflicting  pain  upon  those  who  have  injured  us,  not  to 
do  them  good,  nor  to  prevent  others  from  following 
their  example,  but  to  requite  them  for  the  harm  they 
have  done  us.  Thus  there  is  a  great  difference  between 
revenge  and  punishment.  Punishment  tends  to  make 
the  subject  of  it  better ;  revenge  tends  to  make  him 
worse.  Punishment,  if  it  is  actual  punishment,  and  is 
inflicted  with  feelings  of  compassion,  does  not  irritate 
and  enrage  the  one  who  suffers  it,  but  it  subdues  and 
softens  him.  If  it  is  not  inflicted  with  calmness  and 
compassion,  there  is  revenge  mixed  with  it,  and  that 
prevents  the  proper  effect.  For  revenge,  whether  alone 
or  connected  with  punishment,  tends  to  stir  up  the  bad 
passions  of  the  one  who  suffers.  It  arouses  him  to 
anger  or  else  to  secret  hatred  and  ill  will ;  and  so  it 
perpetuates  evil  passions  and  bitter  strife. 

If,  after  a  person  has  done  us  an  injury,  we  go  from 
one  to  another  of  our  acquaintances,  complaining  of  it 
in  harsh  and  angry  language  and  endeavoring  to  make 
others  dislike  him,  it  is  revenge.  Anything  whatever 
that  is  intended  to  give  pain,  and  which  expresses  our 
anger  and  ill  will,  is  of  the  nature  of  revenge.  And 
in  whatever  form  it  appears,  its  influence  is  evil.  It 
does  not  tend  to  soften  or  mitigate  the  evil,  but  to 


IO4  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

aggravate,  to  extend,  to  perpetuate  it.  Revenge  puts 
oil  upon  the  flames  of  discord ;  punishment  sometimes 
puts  on  water;  but  forgiveness  causes  them  to  die  away 
of  themselves. 

In  almost  all  cases  where  one  does  wrong,  there  are 
some  circumstances  which  extenuate  the  guilt, — that  is, 
which  lessen  it ;  and  there  are  other  circumstances  which 
aggravate  the  guilt, —  that  is,  they  magnify  it,  make  it 
appear  greater  than  it  really  is.  A  boy,  one  afternoon, 
when  his  father  was  sick,  instead  of  going  to  school, 
went  away  to  play,  persuading  his  younger  brother  to 
go  with  him.  In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  he  began 
to  be  sorry  for  his  fault ;  and  though  he  did  not  dare  to 
go  into  school  then,  he  came  home  and  went  to  work  in 
the  garden,  telling  his  brother  that  he  was  sorry  that 
he  had  persuaded  him  not  to  go  to  school,  and  that  he 
was  determined  never  to  do  so  again.  In  such  a  case 
it  would  be  right  to  consider  some  of  the  circumstances 
as  aggravating,  and  some  as  extenuating  the  offence. 
His  father's  sickness  is  an  aggravating  circumstance ; 
it  makes  the  guilt  greater.  For  it  is  more  criminal  to 
take  advantage  of  a  time  of  sickness  and  suffering  in 
the  family,  to  commit  so  wrong  an  act,  than  it  would 
be  to  do  the  same  thing  at  any  ordinary  time.  It  was 
an  aggravation  of  the  offence  also,  for  the  boy  to  lead 
his  younger  brother  astray  with  him.  On  the  other 
hand,  his  coming  back  early  and  going  to  work  in  the 
garden  and  expressing  his  sorrow  for  his  fault  to  his 
brother,  and  promising  to  do  so  no  more,  are  extenuating 
circumstances.  They  make  his  guilt  less  than  it  would 
have  been  if  he  had  persisted  in  his  sin  to  the  last. 

Jf  we  wish  to  form  a  just  judgment  of  any  wrong 


FORGIVENESS.  IO5 

act,  we  must  become  acquainted  with,  and  consider 
all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  —  those  that  exten- 
uate and  those  that  aggravate  the  offence.  If  we  are 
ignorant  of  the  extenuating  circumstances,  we  shall 
think  the  person  more  criminal  than  he  is.  If  we  are 
ignorant  of  the  aggravating  circumstances,  we  shall 
think  him  less  criminal  than  he  is.  But  the  fact  is, 
we  seldom  do  examine  the  case  fully.  In  the  offences 
which  we  commit  against  others,  we  remember  and 
explain  to  our  friends  all  the  extenuating  circumstances, 
and  pass  over  and  forget  those  which  aggravate  the 
guilt.  But  in  the  faults  which  others  commit  against 
us,  our  minds  dwell  on  the  aggravations,  and  we  com- 
plain of  them  bitterly  to  others,  while  we  take  no 
notice  of  the  circumstances  which  extenuate  the  fault. 
And,  in  regard  to  the  wrongs  which  we  hear  of  by 
report,  we  are  often  satisfied  to  take  the  story  just  as 
it  comes,  with  only  a  very  few  of  the  circunv  stances 
related  to  us ;  and  so  we  form  our  judgment  hastily 
from  a  very  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  facts..  One 
person  hears  the  circumstances  which  tend  to  di  ninish 
the  guilt,  and  another,  those  that  increase  it ;  anO  each 
forms  a  decided  opinion,  from  the  imperfect  account 
which  he  himself  has  heard. 

Now  it  will  help  us  very  much  to  exercise  a  mild  and 
forgiving  spirit  towards  those  who  have  injured  us,  if 
we  take  pains  to  ascertain  and  consider  calmly,  all  the 
extenuating  circumstances  of  the  case,  and  make  all  the 
excuse  for  them  that  we  possibly  can.  If  they  acted  in 
any  way  under  a  mistake,  if  we  gave  them  any  provoca- 
tion, if  they  had  been  badly  brought  up,  so  as  not  to 
have  had  good  opportunities  to  learn  how  they  ought 


IO6  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

to  act  towards  others,  or  whatever  may  have  been  the 
extenuating  circumstances,  we  must  take  pains  to  think 
of  them  all,  and  to  allow  them  their  full  weight.  This 
will  moderate  our  displeasure  and  make  it  easier  for  us 
to  forgive. 

The  grandest  example  of  forgiveness  ever  known  was 
that  of  Jesus  Christ  praying  for  the  forgiveness  of  his 
executioners.  And  it  is  noticeable  that  he  spoke  not  of 
the  circumstances  which  aggravated  their  guilt,  but  of 
those  which  might  in  some  slight  degree  excuse  it. 
''Father,  forgive  them,"  said  he,  "for  they  know  not 
what  they  do."  Their  ignorance  of  the  tremendous 
consequences  of  the  deed  which  they  were  committing 
was  a  slight  extenuation  of  it. 

We  ought  to  follow  this  example.  We  must  make 
many  excuses  in  our  minds  for  others,  and  few  for  our- 
selves. When  we  are  injured,  we  must  seek  for  con- 
siderations to  diminish  the  guilt  of  those  who  injure  us. 
We  must  make  all  the  allowances  for  them  that  we  can. 
What  we  cannot  excuse,  we  must  forgive ;  and  we  must 
pray  that  God  will  forgive  the  offenders. 


QUESTIONS. 

What  are  the  three  courses  which  we  can  take,  in  respect  to  those 
that  do  wrong? 

What  is  it  to  forgive  an  injury  ? 

What  is  it  to  punish  an  injury? 

Have  all  persons  a  right  to  punish  ? 

What  persons  have  a  natural  right  to  punish  ? 

What  is  meant  by  delegation? 

What  persons  have  a  delegated  right  to  punish? 

Have  children  ever  any  right  to  punish  ? 


FORGIVENESS.  IO/ 

What  case  is  mentioned  as  an  illustration  of  this? 

What  is  revenge? 

When  punishment  is  inflicted  with  feelings  of  irritation  and  anger, 
what  is  said  of  it? 

What  different  modes  of  revenge  are  mentioned? 

What  is  meant  by  extenuating  circumstances? 

What  is  meant  by  aggravating  circumstances? 

Why  ought  we  to  take  both  into  the  account  in  judging  of  an 
action? 

Describe  the  case  of  the  truant  boy. 

What  were  the  extenuating  circumstances? 

What  were  the  aggravating  circumstances? 

Which  do  we,  generally,  take  most  into  the  account,  in  our  own 
case? 

Which  in  the  case  of  other  persons  who  do  us  injury  ? 

What  ought  we  to  do  in  such  cases? 

What  is  said  of  Jesus  Christ's  forgiveness? 


GRATITUDE. 

When  we  receive  a  gift  or  benefit  from  another,  we  ought  to 
show  kindness  and  good  feeling  in  return.  This  is  gratitude. 

GRATITUDE  is  one  of  the  highest  virtues,  pleasant  to 
feel,  pleasant  to  show,  pleasant  to  realize ;  while  its 
opposite,  ingratitude,  is  vile,  base,  dark,  and  hideous. 

Gratitude  must  be  developed  by  careful  training. 
There  are  many  ways  by  which  children  can  show  grati- 
tude to  their  parents  ;  such  as  good  behavior,  industry, 
good  service,  and  others.  The  love  which  a  very  young 
child  feels  towards  its  mother  from  the  beginning  has 
nothing  like  gratitude  in  it.  After  a  time  when  the 
child  learns  to  think,  it  can  be  told  how  much  its  mother 
has  done  for  it,  and  then,  if  properly  instructed,  it  will 
begin  to  see  what  gratitude  is.  And  this  is  so  with 
many  who  are  no  longer  young.  They  receive  many 
gifts  and  benefits  with  no  thought  of  doing  any  kindness 
in  return.  We  need  not  go  far  to  find  instances  of  this. 
We  often  receive  kindness,  and  think  the  debt  is  paid 
by  the  expression  of  thanks,  and  take  no  pains  to  show 
kindness  in  return.  A  teacher  is  at  great  pains  to  make 
a  lesson  plain  to  a  boy,  but  the  boy  does  not  always  say 
even  as  much  as  "  Thank  you."  Nor  is  the  pupil  more 
careful  after  this,  to  behave  better  or  study  more  dili- 
gently. Gratitude  is  not  only  what  we  feel  in  return 
for  what  we  receive  from  others,  but  it  is  a  desire  to  do 
something  in  return,  to  show  that  we  have  this  feeling. 
108 


GRATITUDE.  IOQ 

A  young  boy,  who  has  been  nursed  through  a  long 
and  severe  illness  by  a  sister  older  than  himself,  will  no 
doubt  often  say  that  he  is  grateful  for  her  kindness  ; 
but  if  he  is  not  more  careful  ever  after,  to  please  her 
and  help  her  as  much  as  he  can,  it  cannot  be  said  that 
he  is  grateful.  Nothing  that  he  can  do  is  too  much,  in 
return  for  the  great  care  and  nursing  she  gave  him,  while 
he  was  so  sick  and  helpless. 

A  boy  who  is  poor  and  without  friends  to  give  him  a 
start  in  work  or  business,  finds  employment  with  a 
merchant  who  treats  him  kindly  and  gives  him  oppor- 
tunities for  advancement.  He  works  faithfully  for  his 
employer,  and  is  successful  in  reaching  a  higher  place  in 
the  store.  He  knows  that  he  is  indebted  to  his  friend 
for  his  success,  and  he  says  so,  more  than  once,  while 
everything  goes  on  well.  After  a  time  the  merchant 
fails  in  business,  and  after  trying  to  recover  himself, 
sinks  in  despondency  and  dies,  leaving  his  family  in 
poverty.  The  young  man  goes  elsewhere,  is  quite  suc- 
cessful, and  becomes  very  prosperous.  One  day  a  son 
of  his  former  master  calls  upon  him  for  employment, 
and  he  tells  him  that  he  has  no  vacancy  in  his  store,  and 
he  can  do  nothing  for  him.  If  he  had  been  truly  grate- 
ful, he  would  have  used  all  the  means  in  his  reach  to 
help  the  son  of  his  benefactor.  Here  was  no  gratitude 
for  the  kindness  shown  to  him  when  he  was  poor  and 
friendless. 

Ingratitude  is  very  common.  Young  people  often 
forget  the  kindness,  the  love,  the  care,  of  their  parents. 
All  these  seem  to  come  as  a  matter  of  course,  for  they 
come  every  day,  and  it  is  easy  to  forget  from  whom  they 
come.  A  boy  was  bathing  in  a  stream,  and  getting  into 


I  IO  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

deep  water,  and  not  being  able  to  swim,  was  just  about 
to  sink  and  be  drowned,  when  his  teacher  plunged 
in  and  saved  him.  For  many  days  after  this,  the  boy 
felt  very  grateful  to  his  teacher  and  gave  him  no  trouble 
in  the  school ;  but  he  was  usually  an  idle,  lazy  boy,  and 
after  a  while  he  forgot  how  much  he  owed  his  teacher, 
and  fell  back  into  his  old  indolent  habits. 

A  gentleman  who  is  interested  in  boys  helps  one  to 
get  a  good  situation.  The  boy  has  few  friends  who  are 
able  to  help  him,  and  he  accepts  the  place  procured  for 
him  with  great  pleasure.  There  are  many  reasons  why 
he  should  do  his  very  best  in  all  things,  to  please  his 
employer  and  succeed  in  the  business,  whatever  it  is ; 
and  one  especially  is,  that  by  faithful  labor  and  care, 
he  can  show  his  gratitude  to  his  friend  who  got  the 
place  for  him  ;  but  after  a  while  he  becomes  so  care- 
less and  idle  that  he  loses  his  place,  and  when  his  friend 
reasons  with  him  and  reproves  him  for  his  folly,  he  treats 
him  with  indifference  and  will  not  take  his  advice. 

One  cold  night  a  man  who  had  lost  his  way  in  the 
woods,  saw  a  light  in  the  distance,  and  going  towards 
it,  found  a  farmhouse.  The  farmer  took  him  in  and 
gave  him  a  good  supper  and  a  place  to  sleep.  In  the 
morning,  rising  up  before  the  family,  the  stranger  stole 
the  silver  spoons  which  he  had  seen  put  in  a  drawer, 
and  went  off. 

A  watchmaker  had  a  son  who  was  a  Sunday-school 
scholar.  One  day  there  came  to  the  Sunday-school  a 
strange  boy,  who  said  he  had  recently  come  from  Eng- 
land, and  that  he  was  poor  and  friendless.  The  watch- 
maker's son  took  the  strange  lad  home  with  him,  and 
his  father  was  so  much  interested  in  the  stranger,  that 


GRATITUDE.  1 1 1 

he  offered  him  a  place  in  his  store  and  gave  him  his 
meals  at  his  own  house.  The  stranger  made  himself 
very  useful  to  his  kind  friend,  and,  continuing  in  the 
Sunday-school,  made  many  friends  there,  who  gave  him 
books,  and  in  other  ways  showed  their  confidence 
and  their  interest  in  him.  After  some  months  the 
watchmaker  had  such  trust  in  his  clerk,  that  he  allowed 
him  to  put  the  valuable  goods  in  the  safe  before  shut- 
ting up  the  store  at  night.  But  one  evening,  while  pre- 
tending to  do  this,  the  young  clerk  secreted  and  stole 
some  of  the  most  valuable  watches  and  rings,  and  disap- 
peared. All  these  are  instances  of  ingratitude. 

The  highest  kind  of  gratitude  is  that  which  we  owe 
to  God.  He  is  our  Creator  —  our  constant  Benefactor. 
He  continues  us  in  life,  He  preserves  us  in  health,  He 
gives  us  sleep  when  we  are  tired,  He  awakens  us  in  the 
morning.  In  some  respects  sleep  is  like  death.  We 
should  never  awake,  if  God  did  not  awaken  us.  He 
protects  us  in  danger,  He  feeds  us,  He  clothes  us, 
He  gives  us  the  right  use  of  our  minds  and  of  all  our 
bodily  faculties. 

Gratitude  is  the  easiest  of  all  the  virtues  to  cultivate. 
It  requires  no  self-denial ;  it  brings  its  own  reward  imme- 
diately;  it  is  within  the  reach  of  everybody.  There  is  no 
one  who  does  not  receive  some  favor  or  kindness  from 
some  other  person,  and  there  is  no  one  who  cannot  say, 
"I  thank  you."  And  if  these  words  are  sincerely 
spoken,  and  if  the  conduct  is  what  it  ought  to  be,  it  is 
what  is  meant  by  gratitude. 


112  A    PRIMER   OF    ETHICS. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  gratitude? 

Is  ingratitude  very  common? 

Is  it  partly  due  to  thoughtlessness  ? 

Who  saved  the  boy  about  to  be  drowned  ? 

What  was  the  effect  upon  the  boy? 

How  did  the  boy  treat  the  friend  who  found  a  place  for  him  ? 

How  did  the  stranger  treat  the  hospitable  farmer? 

What  is  the  story  of  the  watchmaker's  boy? 

Who  has  the  highest  claim  upon  our  gratitude?     Why? 

Is  gratitude  a  difficult  virtue  to  cultivate? 

Does  it  do  good  to  giver  and  receiver? 


PURITY. 

^  Purity  is  freedom  from  all  such  thoughts,  words,  and  actions  as 
modesty  and  delicacy  condemn;  it  is  to  avoid  these  things  our- 
selves and  never  willingly  to  witness  them  in  others. 

THE  sins  against  purity,  which  may  be  committed  by 
the  young,  cannot  be  particularly  explained  to  them, 
because  our  instinctive  sense  of  modesty  and  propriety 
forbids  it.  But  though  the  boy,  as  he  advances  into 
life,  has  to  encounter  dangers  against  which  he  cannot 
be  particularly  warned  by  his  teachers  or  parents,  God 
has  given  conscience  special  charge  to  watch  him,  and 
to  give  him  plain  warning,  in  every  case  when  he  begins 
to  go  astray. 

As  to  most  of  the  other  faults  and  sins  that  young 
people  are  in  danger  of  committing,  they  seem  to  need 
instruction  and  information  more  than  they  do  about 
this.  An  ignorant  boy  might,  possibly,  do  some  dis- 
honest or  unjust  things,  without  being  aware  that  they 
were  dishonest  or  unjust.  He  needs  to  have  some 
things  particularly  explained  to  him,  in  order  that  their 
true  character  may  be  known.  But,  as  to  all  actions, 
and  words,  and  thoughts,  which  are  immodest  and  im- 
pure, he  knows  that  they  are  so  by  instinct ;  that  is,  as 
the  birds  know  how  to  build  their  nests,  —  by  a  natural 
impulse,  without  ever  being  taught.  His  shame,  his 
downcast  looks,  his  careful  concealments,  all  show  that 

"3 


114  A    PRIMER   OF    ETHICS. 

he  knows  perfectly  well  that  he  is  guilty,  though  no 
parent  or  teacher  may  have  pointed  out  to  him  the  guilt. 
Nature  points  it  out  to  him.  Nature,  even  if  the  parents 
do  not  give  him  minute  instruction,  takes  effectual  care 
to  give  it  to  him  herself ;  and  he  cannot  sin,  either  in 
thought,  word,  or  deed,  in  the  most  secret  manner,  with- 
out feeling  self -condemned  and  ashamed. 

The  various  kinds  of  sin  which  children  commit  in 
childhood  are  only  beginnings.  They  are  very  bad  in 
themselves,  but  they  lead  on  to  what  is  very  much 
worse.  If  a  father  detects  his  son  in  stealing  some  fruit 
from  the  storeroom,  the  sorrow  that  he  feels  is  not  so 
much  for  the  loss  of  the  fruit ;  nor  is  it,  perhaps,  alto- 
gether on  account  of  the  guilt  his  son  has  incurred  by 
that  one  sin.  He  looks  forward.  He  sees  all  the  suc- 
cessive steps  of  dishonesty,  as  they  are  likely  to  be 
developed  in  future  years,  and  he  is  overwhelmed  with 
the  fear,  that  his  son  may  grow  up  to  be  a  thief.  He 
has  a  distinct  idea  of  the  depths  of  guilt  and  suffering 
which  such  a  beginning  leads  to,  and  the  companions, 
the  haunts,  the  vices,  the  shame,  the  trial,  the  prison, 
the  punishment,  and  all  the  multiplied  miseries  of  such 
a  career.  The  boy  himself,  however,  cannot  understand 
all  this.  He  may  know  something  of  it  in  general ; 
but  he  cannot  form  any  distinct  and  clear  ideas,  of  the 
extent  and  variety  of  the  sufferings  which  he  is  bring- 
ing upon  himself,  when  he  begins  to  be  dishonest ; 
that  is,  he  enters  upon  a  course  of  sin,  while  he  has  not, 
and  while  it  is  impossible  that  he  can  have,  any  idea  of 
the  awful  penalties  which  God  has  annexed  to  it,  and 
which  will  certainly  come  upon  him  if  he  goes  on. 

And  this  is  still  more  strikingly  the  case  in  respect  to 


PURITY.  115 

impurity.  It  seems  to  the  young  to  be  wrong,  but 
harmless  ;  they  cannot  shut  their  eyes  to  the  guilt  of  it ; 
but  they  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  it  is  likely  to 
be  attended  with  very  serious  consequences.  This 
seems  to  be  a  case  where  God  has  made  known  to  them 
the  law  very  distinctly,  but  has  concealed  the  penalty. 
Conscience  charges  them,  in  the  most  solemn  manner 
even  at  the  tenderest  age,  not  to  do,  not  to  say,  not  to 
think,  what  the  instinctive  sense  of  modesty  and  propri- 
ety forbids ;  but  there  is  no  way  by  which  they  can  form 
any  clear  conception  of  the  terrible  sins  and  miseries,  to 
which  such  things  lead.  The  child  who  begins  by  lov- 
ing to  hear  impure  language,  and  then  gradually  learns 
to  use  it  himself,  commences  a  course  which  ends  in 
vices,  and  crimes,  and  sufferings,  of  which  he  can  form 
no  idea.  The  remorse,  the  shame,  the  abandoned  com- 
pany, the  bodily  suffering,  the  horrible  diseases,  the 
wretchedness  and  degradation,  which  a  life  of  impurity 
brings,  would  terrify  the  soul  of  every  guilty  boy,  if  it 
were  possible,  at  his  early  age,  that  he  could  understand 
and  realize  them.  The  most  degraded,  and  miserable, 
and  wretched  men  and  women  that  are  to  be  found  in 
the  world,  are  made  so  by  the  consequences  of  impurity. 
But  young  people  can  only  have  a  very  general  idea 
of  these  consequences.  They  are  not  old  enough  to 
understand  how  the  use  of  language  which  they  know 
is  wrong,  but  which  seems  to  do  no  immediate  in- 
jury, will  lead  them  on  from  sin  to  sin,  until  it  ends 
in  the  very  extreme  of  human  degradation  and  misery. 
When  the  end  comes  upon  them,  they  say,  that  if  they 
had  only  known,  they  would  not  have  commenced  so 
awful  a  career.  If  they  had  only  known !  But  they 


Il6  A    PRIMER   OF   ETHICS. 

did  know  the  guilt,  though  they  did  not  know  the 
penalty.  The  beginnings  may  have  seemed  harmless, 
it  is  true ;  that  is,  the  first  offences  appeared  not  to 
do  any  immediate  injury.  But  they  never  could  have 
seemed  innocent.  Conscience  was  always  ready  to 
testify  that  they  were  very,  very  wrong.  They  have, 
therefore,  in  their  sufferings,  no  cause  to  complain  of 
the  justice  of  God.  When  He  clearly  makes  known 
His  commands,  they  who  dare  to  disobey  them,  do  it 
at  their  own  peril.  They  cannot  complain  if  awful 
consequences  follow,  which  they  could  not  possibly  have 
foreseen. 

Let  young  people,  then,  be  pure,  —  pure  in  thought, 
pure  in  word,  and  pure  in  deed, — and  let  them  close 
their  ears  against  all  impure  words,  and  their  eyes 
against  all  impure  reading  and  pictures.  Then  they 
will  escape  present  guilt  and  shame,  and  future  vice  and 
misery. 

There  is  often  conversation  of  an  indelicate  nature 
among  boys,  conversation  which  they  would  be  very 
unwilling  that  their  father  or  mother  should  hear :  with- 
out great  care  in  early  life,  their  minds  will  be  so  pois- 
oned and  corrupted  in  this  way,  that  it  will  be  a  calam- 
ity to  them  all  their  lives.  They  will,  during  all  the 
years  of  manhood,  have  cause  to  mourn  that  such  impure 
words  and  thoughts  ever  entered  the  mind.  There  is 
hardly  anything  more  important  to  the  welfare  and  hap- 
piness of  a  boy  than  a  caution  on  this  subject.  He  can- 
not be  too  careful  to  avoid  all  such  words  and  thoughts. 
He  should  never  utter  a  word  of  this  character  which 
he  would  not  be  willing  to  repeat  to  his  parents.  He 
cannot  understand  the  dreadful  consequences  of  having 


PURITY.  117 

an  impure  mind.  It  would  be  far  less  a  calamity  to  lose 
a  foot,  or  a  hand,  or  an  eye,  than  to  lose  delicacy  and 
purity  of  mind.  When  we  think  of  the  temptations 
to  which  boys  are  exposed  in  this  respect,  the  bad  boys 
with  corrupt  hearts,  whom  they  must  inevitably  meet, 
the  indelicate  words  they  must  almost  unavoidably  hear, 
we  cannot  too  earnestly  warn  them  of  their  danger. 
When  they  are  present  where  such  conversation  is 
going  on,  they  should  escape  if  they  possibly  can. 
They  should  resolve  that  they  will  not  listen  to  that 
which  conscience  tells  them  to  be  wrong.  And  con- 
science will  be  very  faithful  on  this  subject.  It  warns 
loudly  and  earnestly,  whenever  the  approach  is  made 
to  the  region  of  impropriety.  If  a  boy  indulges  himself 
in  this  sin,  he  will  not  do  it  ignorantly,  and  he  will 
suffer  for  it  as  long  as  he  lives.  Many  a  good  man  has 
been  unable,  even  to  the  end  of  his  life,  to  blot  out  from 
his  mind,  the  impressions  left  there  by  impure  thoughts. 
Dr.  Johnson  was  once  in  company,  where  a  person 
related  an  anecdote  which  was  of  an  indelicate  character. 
As  soon  as  he  had  finished,  Dr.  Johnson,  sternly  looking 
at  him,  said,  "  Sir,  if  you  ever  intend  to  repeat  that 
anecdote  in  my  presence,  I  will  thank  you  to  inform  me 
of  it,  that  I  may  leave  the  room.  Such  thoughts  cannot 
pass  through  the  mind  without  leaving  a  trace  of  pollu- 
tion behind  them."  And  more  recently,  at  a  dinner-table, 
one  of  the  guests  after  looking  around  before  he  began 
to  tell  an  indelicate  story,  said,  "  I  believe  there  are  no 
ladies  present."  "No,"  said  another  guest,  "but  there 
are  gentlemen  present  "  ;  and  so  he  prevented  the  story. 
And  any  one  who  has  self-respect,  be  he  man  or  boy, 
will  spurn  the  language  of  impurity. 


Il8  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

If  any  boy  should  fall  into  this  habit  of  foolish  and 
wicked  talk,  and  should  let  it  grow  upon  him,  as  it 
surely  will,  he  cannot  hope  that  his  teachers  or  other 
instructors  will  respect  him  ;  that  any  right-minded  man 
will  ever  want  his  services,  however  valuable  those 
services  may  be,  or  however  useful  he  might  be.  And 
let  him  remember  also,  what  is  of  vastly  more  conse- 
quence than  anything  in  this  world,  that  when  he  comes 
to  stand  before  God  on  the  judgment  day,  with  such 
evil  habits  clinging  to  him  not  repented  of,  he  cannot 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  is  meant  by  instinctive  ? 

Does  a  child  know  what  impurity  is  without  being  taught? 
How  does  conscience  protect  him  ? 

Do  children  know  all  the  consequences  of  the  sins  they  commit? 
Could  they  understand  them  if  they  were  explained? 
Is  this  any  excuse  for  committing  the  sin? 

Ought  children  to  associate  with  those  that  use  improper  lan- 
guage? 

Ought  they  to  listen  to  immodest  talk? 

What  did  Dr.  Johnson  once  say  on  this  subject? 

What  did  the  guest  at  dinner  say  ? 


REPENTANCE. 

All  people  frequently  fall  into  temptation  and  do  wrong.  They 
ought  always  to  be  sorry  for  it,  acknowledge  it,  and  resolve  to 
do  so  no  more. 

ALL  persons  often  do  wrong.  One  great  difference 
between  the  good  and  the  bad,  is,  that  the  good  acknowl- 
edge the  wrong,  and  at  once  return  to  their  duty  ;  but 
the  bad  persist,  and  make  false  excuses,  and  are  angry 
at  being  reproved,  and  continue  in  their  wrong-doing. 

When  we  are  reproved  for  a  fault,  we  should  never 
hastily  deny  or  begin  to  excuse  what  we  have  done.  If 
there  is  a  misunderstanding  of  the  case,  so  that  we  are 
really  innocent,  when  we  are  supposed  to  be  guilty,  it  is 
certainly  right  that  we  should/in  a  gentle  and  proper 
manner,  make  the  truth  known.  But  such  cases  are 
rare.  The  excuses  and  defences  which  children  gen- 
erally make,  arise  merely  from  their  being  unwilling  to 
admit  that  they  have  done  wrong ;  they  prefer  to  per- 
sist, to  disguise  or  conceal  the  truth,  or  to  turn  the 
censure  off  upon  some  other  person. 

But  it  is  better  to  acknowledge  the  fault.  To  feel 
and  to  express  sorrow  for  wrong-doing  is  not  only  the 
right  way  to  get  out  of  a  difficulty,  but  it  is  altogether 
the  pleasantest  way.  It  is  repentance.  Endeavoring 
to  excuse  or  to  hide  a  fault  only  prolongs  the  mental 
uneasiness  which  wrong -doing  brings.  If  you  arc 

119 


I2O  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

charged  with  a  fault,  listen  to  the  charge  patiently,  con- 
sider it  candidly,  and  then,  if  you  see  that  you  have 
done  wrong,  fully  and  freely  confess  it.  You  will  find 
that  to  be  the  quickest,  the  easiest,  and  the  pleasantest 
way  of  getting  out  of  the  difficulty. 

It  is  not  enough,  however,  merely  to  say  that  you 
know  you  have  done  wrong.  Repentance  must  be  sin- 
cere ;  it  must  come  from  the  heart.  We  must  feel  how 
evil  it  is  to  do  wrong,  even  in  what  might  be  considered 
a  trifling  matter.  A  boy  pushes  his  little  sister  down, 
because  she  has  done  something  that  he  did  not  like. 
Now,  when  he  is  reproved  for  it,  he  ought  to  think  that, 
though  a  little  push  is  very  trifling,  yet  that  an  angry 
spirit,  leading  to  an  act  of  violence,  is  very  serious.  It 
is  the  thought  as  well  as  the  deed,  which  gives  the 
character  to  an  action ;  and  this  we  should  think  of, 
whenever  we  have  done  wrong,  and  acknowledge,  not 
carelessly  and  indifferently,  but  with  real  sorrow  for 
the  wrong  spirit  which  the  action  showed. 

When  we  are  doing  wfong,  and  are  told  of  it,  we  should 
immediately  and  good-humoredly  stop,  and  begin  to  do 
right.  There  are  many  faults  which  young  people  fall 
into,  from  thoughtlessness  or  momentary  impulse ; 
and  then,  if  they  seem  willing  to  be  told  of  them,  and 
immediately  change  their  course,  the  evil  is  kept  within 
very  narrow  limits.  But  if  they  persist  in  them,  and 
seem  displeased  at  being  reproved,  it  makes  the  wrong 
far  greater ;  it  changes  a  mere  thoughtless  fault  to  a 
deliberate  and  wilful  sin. 

Therefore,  make  it  a  rule  to  abandon  at  once  whatever 
you  are  doing  that  is  wrong,  as  soon  as  your  attention 
is  called  to  it  by  your  parent  or  teacher  or  by  any  friend. 


REPENTANCE.  121 

This  is  the  way  a  certain  boy  received  reproof,  when 
his  father  told  him  that  he  was  making  too  much  noise 
with  his  brother,  in  the  parlor :  he  immediately  ceased 
making  a  noise,  and  went  at  once,  pleasantly,  and  took  a 
book,  and  sat  down  by  the  fire. 

His  sister,  however,  could  not  bear  to  be  told  of  her 
faults.  At  school,  when  she  was  sitting  in  a  wrong 
attitude,  if  the  teacher  called  her  attention  to  it,  she 
would  look  displeased,  and  change  her  position  as  little 
as  possible,  without  seeming  absolutely  to  refuse  to 
obey.  When  the  teacher  asked  her  to  read  louder  or 
more  slowly  in  the  class,  she  would  change  her  mode 
of  speaking  as  little  as  possible,  —  thus  persisting  in  the 
fault,  instead  of  abandoning  it.  How  much  better  it 
is  to  yield  at  once,  with  good-humored  readmess,  than 
to  cling  to  our  faults,  and  regard,  with  looks  of  sullen 
displeasure,  those  who  point  them  out  to  us  ! 

True  repentance  is  essential  to  restore  our  peace  of 
mind  and  happiness,  when  we  have  committed  any  great 
and  serious  sins.  True  repentance  makes  us  willing  to 
see  and  to  admit  that  we  have  been  guilty  ;  it  makes  us 
truly  sorry  that  we  have  thus  yielded  to  temptation  and 
done  wrong,  and  it  makes  us  desirous  to  abandon  the 
sinful  course  at  once,  and  to  return  to  duty.  Thus  true 
repentance  brings  with  it  reformation  ;  and  it  leads  us, 
not  only  to  avoid  sinning  again,  but  to  repair  as  far  as 
we  can  whatever  injury  our  sin  has  already  done. 

There  is  a  false  repentance.  That  is,  there  are  cer 
tain  feelings  which  seem  like  repentance  in  some  de 
gree,  but  which  really  are  not,  but  are  something  very 
different.  A  boy  took  the  key  of  his  own  chest,  one 
afternoon,  when  his  father  was  gone  away,  and  tried  to 


122  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

unlock  his  father's  desk  with  it,  to  steal  some  money. 
He  put  his  key  into  the  lock,  but  it  did  not  fit  exactly, 
and  at  length,  in  turning  it,  it  was  caught  so  that  he 
could  not  get  it  either  back  or  forward,  and,  at  last, 
after  trying  a  long  time  to  get  it  out,  he  had  to  go  away 
and  leave  it, — his  mind  in  a  state  of  great  agitation 
and  terror.  He  was  afraid  that  his  father  would  come 
home  at  night,  and  find  his  key  in  the  lock  of  the 
desk,  and  so  he  would  be  detected.  He  was  very 
sorry,  indeed,  that  he  had  ever  attempted  such  an  act. 
But  his  feeling  was  not  repentance ;  it  was  fear  of  de- 
tection. He  was  not  troubled  by  the  thought  of  the 
wickedness  of  stealing  his  father's  money,  but  of  the 
danger  that  he  should  be  detected  and  punished.  It 
was  remorse  and  terror,  not  repentance  ;  and  it  did  not 
lead  him  to  confess  and  forsake  his  sin,  but  only  to 
think  of  every  possible  way  that  he  could  contrive  to 
conceal  it. 

True  repentance  is  not  fear  of  being  detected,  nor 
fear  of  being  punished  ;  nor  is  it  merely  the  feeling  of 
guilt  and  self-condemnation  at  having  done  what  is 
wrong.  It  is  such  a  sorrow  for  the  wrong  as  leads  us 
to  acknowledge,  and  not  to  conceal  it,  and  to  repair 
the  injury  it  has  done  ;  and  it  makes  us  sincerely  desire, 
and  firmly  determine,  to  do  so  no  more. 


QUESTIONS. 

Do  all  persons  sometimes  do  wrong? 

What  is  one  great  difference  between  the  good  and  the  bad,  in 
regard  t©  any  wrong  which  they  have  done  ? 

What  is  our  duty  when  we  are  reproved  for  our  faults? 


REPENTANCE.  123 

Which  is  the  right  course  when  we  have  done  wrong,  —  to  ac- 
knowledge the  fault,  or  to  defend  ourselves  and  make  excuses? 

Which  is  the  more  pleasant  course  ? 

State  the  case  of  the  boy  who  was  told  to  be  quiet. 

How  did  his  sister  bear  reproof  ? 

Can  our  peace  of  mind  be  restored,  after  we  have  done  wrong, 
except  by  true  repentance? 

What  is  false  repentance? 

Describe  the  case  of  the  boy  and  the  false  key. 

Was  his  anxiety,  when  he  found  he  could  not  get  the  key  out, 
true  repentance  ? 

What  feeling  was  it? 

What  does  true  repentance  lead  us  to  do  ? 


DUTY   TO   GOD. 

God  is  our  creator,  and  we  ought  to  adore  Him.  He  has  made 
laws,  and  we  ought  to  obey  them.  He  forgives  the  penitent  —  He 
loves  all  His  creatures;  and  we  ought  to  love  Him.  He  is  always 
near  us,  and  ready  to  listen  to  us,  and  we  ought  to  pray  to  Him  for 
help,  guidance  and  protection. 

No  one  is  able  to  conceive  of  the  greatness  and  maj- 
esty of  God.  We  cannot  understand  Him.  He  has  no 
form  or  shape  like  a  man.  He  is  everywhere,  and 
knows  everything ;  but  He  does  not  see  with  eyes,  or 
hear  with  ears,  as  we  do.  He  is  everywhere  at  the  same 
time.  He  does  not  walk  from  place  to  place  with  feet, 
as  we  do.  His  works  are  going  on,  too,  constantly,  in 
all  parts  of  the  universe ;  but  He  does  not  work  with 
hands,  as  we  do.  He  has  no  eyes,  or  ears,  or  feet,  or 
hands.  He  has  no  shape  or  body.  He  is  a  spirit.  This 
is  mysterious.  It  is  most  difficult  to  conceive  of  God. 

God  is  everywhere.  You  plant  a  seed  in  the  ground 
in  the  spring ;  there  comes  from  it  in  a  few  days  a  little 
sprout.  There  are  two  parts :  the  part  that  is  for  the 
root  turns  down  and  grows  into  the  ground ;  the  part 
that  is  for  the  stem  and  leaves  turns  up,  and  comes  out 
into  the  air.  How  do  the  root  and  the  stem  know  which 
way  they  must  grow?  They  do  not  know.  God  is 
there,  where  you  plant  that  seed,  and  He  guides  the 
growing  of  it ;  and  all  over  this  vast  world  you  cannot 
124 


DUTY   TO    GOD.  125 

find  a  place  where  you  can  put  the  smallest  seed,  but 
God  will  be  always  ready  there,  to  send  the  little  leaf- 
lets up  and  the  root  down. 

And  so  God  is  watching  over  and  sustaining  every 
star  that  shines  in  the  sky.  The  stars  are  great  worlds, 
—  very  great  indeed, — though  they  are  so  many  mil- 
lions of  miles  from  us  that  they  look  twinkling  and 
small.  They  are  far,  very  far,  away  from  us ;  but  God 
is  there,  always  present  with  every  one. 

When  you  see  a  little  cloud  floating  in  the  sky,  you 
may  know  that  God  is  there  to  form  it.  He  gathers 
together  the  little  drops  of  water — so  small  that  they 
will  float,  high  in  the  air.  He  increases  the  number  of 
them,  till  the  cloud  which  they  form  becomes  large  and 
black,  and  He  brings  down,  one  by  one,  every  drop  that 
falls  in  rain.  He  makes  the  lightning  to  flash  and  the 
thunder  to  roll. 

While  God  is  in  the  sky,  among  the  stars,  and  clouds, 
and  storms,  He  is  also  present  in  every  part  of  the 
earth  and  of  the  deep  sea.  If  we  could  go  off  a  thou- 
sand miles  from  the  shore,  and  then  go  down,  down,  very 
deep  into  the  ocean,  we  should  find  that  God  is  always 
there.  Millions  of  plants  and  animals,  which  we  never 
see  or  know,  He  is  continually 'forming  there;  and  He 
watches  and  rules  over  every  one  of  them,  as  they  spend 
their  lives,  clinging  to  the  ragged  rocks,  or  gliding 
through  the  green  waters. 

Did  you  ever  feel  your  pulse  ?  Do  you  know  what 
makes  the  pulse  beat  ?  It  is  the  throbbing  of  the  blood 
as  it  is  driven  along  through  a  little  channel,  into  your 
hand.  It  is  by  means  of  this  that  your  hand  is  kept 
alive,  and  warm,  and  made  to  grow.  Your  blood  beats 


126  A    PRIMER    OF    ETHICS. 

its  way  thus  into  every  part  of  your  body;  and  if  it 
should  cease  this  motion,  you  would  soon  become  cold 
and  stiff,  and  die.  Now,  who  makes  your  pulse  beat? 
Do  you  do  it  ?  Can  you  make  it  beat,  or  stop  its  beat- 
ing ?  No.  It  is  God.  His  power  is  always  present 
with  you  and  around  you ;  and  He  causes  the  pulse  to 
beat,  all  the  time,  wherever  you  are,  and  whatever  you 
are  doing,  —  whether  you  are  awake  or  asleep,  at  home 
or  abroad,  running  or  playing,  or  sitting  still.  How 
strange  that  God  should  never  for  a  moment  forget,  and 
leave  His  work  undone  !  He  is  great  and  mighty,  and 
is  always  present  and  always  acting  everywhere.  We 
ought  to  adore  Him  for  His  greatness  and  majesty,  love 
Him  for  His  goodness,  dread  His  displeasure,  and  ask 
His  forgiveness  and  protection  every  day. 

Every  duty  which  we  have  to  perform,  is  required  of 
us  by  God  ;  so  that  we  cannot  neglect  any  duty  what- 
ever, without  disobeying  Him  ;  which  is,  as  it  were,  a 
double  sin.  If  a  boy  were  to  make  his  younger  brother 
drag  him  about  upon  his  little  wagon,  when  they  were 
at  play,  he  would  do  wrong;  he  would  be  unjust  and 
oppressive  to  his  little  brother.  If,  moreover,  his  father 
had  expressly  forbidden  his  doing  so,  then,  in  addition 
to  the  sin  against  the  child,  he  would  be  guilty  of  diso- 
bedience to  his  father.  Now,  the  law  of  God  clearly 
forbids  all  the  sins  of  which  we  can  be  guilty  against 
any  one ;  so  that  we  cannot  do  any  wrong  without  diso- 
beying Him.  If  a  child  is  unjust  to  his  playmate,  he 
disobeys  and  displeases  God.  If  he  attempts  to  deceive 
his  parents,  he  disobeys  and  displeases  God.  If  he 
wastes  his  time,  or  is  insubordinate  and  troublesome  at 
school,  he  disobeys  and  displeases  God.  Every  offence 


DUTY    TO    GOD.  I2/ 

which  we  can  commit,  small  as  well  as  great,  is  a  trans- 
gression of  His  law;  and  we  cannot  be  really  happy  after 
we  have  committed  such  transgressions,  until  we  obtain 
His  forgiveness.  We  ought,  therefore,  to  make  it  the 
great  duty  and  business  of  our  lives  to  secure  and  enjoy, 
at  all  times,  the  favor  of  Almighty  God,  our  Father 
in  heaven.  We  should  seek  His  pardon  for  our  sins,  go 
to  him  always  in  our  trouble,  look  to  Him  for  protection 
in  danger,  for  strength  in  temptation,  for  comfort  in  sor- 
row, and  for  peace  and  happiness  in  duty  ;  and  we  should 
cultivate  such  constant  habits  of  intercourse  and  com- 
munion with  Him,  as  shall  help  us,  under  all  the  circum- 
stances of  life,  to  feel  that  He  is  our  refuge  and  strength, 
and  a  very  present  help  in  time  of  trouble. 

QUESTIONS. 

What  feeling  should  be  awakened  in  our  minds  by  the  power  and 
majesty  of  God  ?  By  His  decision  in  punishing  sin  ?  By  His  kind- 
ness and  mercy  to  us? 

What  is  meant  by  being  a  spirit? 

What  takes  place  when  a  seed  is  put  into  the  ground? 

Does  this  prove  that  the  power  of  God  is  present  there  ? 

What  is  said  of  God's  presence  in  the  heavens?     In  the  sea? 

What  causes  the  pulsations  we  feel  in  the  wrist? 

Do  we  keep  up  these  pulsations  by  our  own  power? 

What  would  be  the  consequence  if  they  should  cease  ? 

Are  we,  then,  dependent  upon  God  every  moment? 

What  is  meant  by  double  criminality? 

How  is  this  illustrated  by  the  case  of  the  boy  who  should  compel 
his  brother  to  drag  him  upon  his  little  wagon? 

Does  the  law  of  God  include  every  duty? 

Then,  whenever  we  do  wrong,  or  neglect  any  duty,  do  we  not 
disobey  God  ? 

From  what  we  know  of  God,  what  five  things  should  we  do? 

Adore  Him.     Obey  Him.     Fear  Him.     Love  Him.     Praise  Him. 


ELEMENTARY  ENGLISH. 


[Send  for  our  Common  School  Catalogue.] 


Stickney's  Readers. 


Introductory  to  Classics  for  Children.  By  J.  H.  STICKNEY,  author  ol 
The  Child's  Book  of  Language,  Letters  and  Lessons  in  Language,  etc. 
Introduction  prices":  First  Reader,  24  cents  ;  Second  Reader,  32  cents  ; 
Third  Reader,  40  cents  ;  Fourth  Reader,  50  cents  ;  exchange  allowances 
respectively  :  5  cents,  8  cents,  10  cents,  and  10  cents. 


are  distinctively  reading-books.     Their  object  is  to  help 
"    the  pupil  to  a  mastery  of  the  rudiments  of  reading  in  the 
easiest  way  and  the  shortest  possible  time,  and  to  provide  an  ample 
quantity  of  the  reading-matter  that  will  be  best  for  practice,  for 
implanting  a  literary  taste,  and  for  personal  culture. 

Whitney's  Essentials  of  English  Grammar. 

For  the  Use  of  High  Schools,  Academies,  and  the  Upper  Grades  of 
Grammar  Schools.  With  a  Supplement  of  Extracts  for  practice  in 
parsing.  By  Prof.  W.  D.  WHITNEY,  of  Yale  University.  12mo.  Cloth. 
287  pages.  Mailing  price,  85  cents;  introduction,  75  cents;  allowance 
for  old  book,  25  cents. 


is  an  English  grammar  of  the  English  language,  prepared 
"    by  the  best  philologist  in  the  country.     It  is  clear,  practical, 
and  complete.    It  proceeds  from  facts  to  principles,  and  from  these 
to  classifications  and  definitions.     Mechanical  forms,  unnecessary 
classifications,  and  abstract  definitions  are  avoided. 

The  exercises,  selected  from  the  best  English  writers,  leave  none 
of  the  usual  and  regular  forms  of  English  structure  untouched. 

The  facts  of  English  grammar  are  presented  in  such  a  way  as  to 
lay  the  best  foundation  for  the  further  and  higher  study  of  lan- 
guage in  all  its  departments. 


F.  J.  Child,  Prof,  of  English,  Har- 
vard University  :  I  do  not  know  that 
I  ever  before  saw  an  English  gram- 
mar which  I  would  permit  my  chil- 
dren to  look  into,  so  great  the  chance 


has  been  that  they  would  learn  noth- 
ing or  be  taught  something  false.  I 
regarded  Prof.  Whitney's  undertak- 
ing and  book  as  a  service  to  human- 
ity as  well  as  to  education. 


Z  ELEMENTARY   ENGLISH. 

CLASSICS   FOR    CHILDREN. 

(See  first  page  of  Contents  for  list.) 

In  forming  the  mind  and  taste  of  the  young,  is  it  not  better  to  use  authors  who 
have  already  lived  long  enough  to  afford  some  guaranty  that  they  may  survive 
the  next  tioenty  years  f 

"  Children  derive  impulses  of  a  wonderful  and  important  kind  from 
hearing:  things  that  they  cannot  entirely  comprehend."  —  SIK  WALTER 

SCOTT. 

TT  is  now  seven  or  eight  years  since  we  began  publishing  the 

Classics  for  Children,  and  the  enterprise,  which  at  first  seemed  a 
novel  one,  may  fairly  be  said  to  have  passed  the  stage  of  experiment. 

It  has  been  the  aim  to  present  the  best  and  most  suitable  litera- 
ture in  our  language  in  as  complete  a  form  as  possible ;  and  in 
most  cases  but  few  omissions  have  been  found  necessary..  Whether 
judged  from  the  literary,  the  ethical,  or  the  educational  standpoint, 
each  of  the  books  has  attained  the  rank  of  a  masterpiece. 

The  series  places  within  reach  of  all  schools  an  abundant  supply 
of  supplementary  reading-matter.  This  is  its  most  obvious  merit. 

It  is  reading-matter,  too,  which,  by  the  force  of  its  own  interest 
and  excellence,  will  do  much,  when  fairly  set  in  competition,  to 
displace  the  trashy  and  even  harmful  literature  so  widely  current. 

It  is  believed  also  that  constant  dwelling  upon  such  models  of  sim- 
ple, pure,  idiomatic  English  is  the  easiest  and  on  all  accounts  the 
best  way  for  children  to  acquire  a  mastery  of  their  mother-tongue. 

A  large  portion  of  the  course  has  been  devoted  to  history  and  biog- 
raphy, as  it  has  seemed  specially  desirable  to  supplement  the  brief, 
unsatisfactory  outlines  of  history  with  full  and  life-like  readings. 

The  annotation  has  been  done  with  modesty  and  reserve,  the 
editors  having  aimed  to  let  the  readers  come  into  direct  acquaint- 
ance with  the  author. 

The  books  are  all  printed  on  good  paper,  and  are  durably  and 
attractively  bound  in  12mo.  A  distinctive  feature  is  the  large, 
clear  type.  Illustrations  have  been  freely  used  when  thought  de- 
sirable. The  prices  are  as  low  as  possible.  It  has  been  felt  that 
nothing  would  be  gained  by  making  the  books  a  little  cheaper  at 
the  expense  of  crowding  the  page  with  fine  type  and  issuing  them 
in  a  style  that  would  neither  attract  nor  last. 

The  best  proof  of  the  need  of  such  a  course  is  the  universal 
approbation  with  which  it  has  been  received. 


ELEMENTARY   ENGLISH.  O 

CLASSICS   FOR    CHILDREN. 

series  now  includes  nearly  forty  volumes.  Those  suitable 
only  for  primary  and  grammar  school  grades  are  named  only 
in  the  price-list  at  the  beginning  of  this  Catalogue.  (For  a  fuller 
description,  see  our  Common  School  Catalogue.)  The  following 
are  designed  for  the  higher  grades.  The  first  of  the  two  prices  is 
the  mailing  price,  the  second  is  for  introduction. 

Scott's  Lady  of  the  Lake. 

EDWIN  GINN.     268  pa 
50  cents.    Canto  I.,  5  ce 

Scoffs  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel. 

MARGARET  ANI 
30  cents.    Cloth 

Scott's  Talisman. 

DWIGHT  HOLBROOK,  Principal  of  Morgan  School,  Clinton,  Conn.,  with 
an  Introduction  by  Miss  CHARLOTTE  M.  YONGE.  xii  + 454  pages.  Boards: 
60  and  50  cents.  Cloth:  70  and  60  cents. 

Scott's  Quentin  Durward. 


EDWIN  GINN.     268  pages.     Boards:  40  and  35  cents.     Cloth:  60  and 
50  cents.    Canto  I.,  5  cents. 


MARGARET  ANDREWS  ALLEN.    150  pages,  with  map.    Boards :  35  and 
30  cents.    Cloth :  45  and  40  cents. 


CHARLOTTE  M.  YONGE.   312  pages.   Boards:  50  and  40  cents.     Cloth: 
60  and  50  cents. 

Scott's  Old  Mortality. 

D.  H.  MONTGOMERY.    510  pages.    Boards :  70  and  60  cents.     Cloth :  85 
and  75  cents. 

Scott's  M  arm  ion. 

D.  H.  MONTGOMERY  :  307  pages.    Boards:         and        cents.    Cloth: 
and       cents. 

Scott's  Guy  Mannering. 

CHARLOTTE  M.  YONGE.    525  pages.    Boards:  70  and  60  cents.    Cloth: 
85  and  75  cents. 

Scott's  Ivanhoe. 

CHARLOTTE  M.  YONGE.    554  pages.    Boards :  70  and  60  cents.    Cloth : 
85  and  75  cents. 

Scott's  Rob  Roy. 

CHARLOTTE  1 
Cloth:  85  and 

Stories  of  the  Old  World. 

ALFRED  J.  CHURCH,  M.A.,  author  of  Stories  from  Homer,  Livy,  Virgil, 
etc.    3o4  pa^es.     Boards :  50  and  40  cents.    Cloth :  60  and  50  cents. 


CHARLOTTE  M.  YONGE.    viii  +  507  pages.     Boards:  70  and  60  cents 
Cloth :  85  and  75  cents. 


ALICE H.  WHITE.    291  pages.    Boards:       and        cents.    Cloth:       and 
cents. 


EDWARD  EVERETT  HALE.     Illustrated.     376  pages.     Boards:  50  and 
40  cents.    Cloth :  60  and  50  cents. 


4  ELEMENTARY   ENGLISH. 

Plutarch's  Lives. 

From  dough's  Translation.  Edited  by  EDWIN  GINN,  with  Historical 
Introductions  by  W.  F.  ALLEN,  xvi  +  333  pages.  Illustrated.  Boards : 
50  and  40  cents.  Cloth :  60  and  50  cents. 

Irving's  Sketch  Book. 

HOMER  B.  SPRAGUE,  Ph.D.,  and  M.  E.  SCATES,  formerly  of  the  Girls' 
High  School,  Boston.  126  pages.  Boards:  30  and  25  cents.  Cloth:  40 
and  35  cents. 

Irving^s  A/hambra. 

ALICE  H.  WHITE 

cents. 

The  Arabian  Nights. 

EDWARD  EVERET' 
40  cents.    Cloth :  < 

The  Vicar  of  Wakefield. 

238  pages.    Boards:  35  and  30  cents.    Cloth  :  55  and  50  cents. 
Hughes's  Tom  Brown  at  Rugby. 

CLARA  WEAVER  ROBINSON,  with  a  Sketch  of  the  Author's  Life  by 
D.  H.  MONTGOMERY,  xiii  +  387  pages.  Boards :  60  and  50  cents.  Cloth : 
70  and  60  cents. 

Benjamin  Franklin. 

His  Autobiography  and  a  continuation  of  his  Life  compiled  chiefly  from 
his  own  writings.  D.  H.  MONTGOMERY.  Illustrated,  viii  +  311  pages. 
Boards :  50  and  40  cents.  Cloth :  60  and  50  cents. 

Swiffs  Gulliver's  Travels. 

The  Voyage  to  Lilliput  and  the  Voyage  to  Brobdingnag.  ix  + 162  pages. 
Boards :  35  and  30  cents.  Cloth :  45  and  40  cents. 

Johnson's  Rasselas,  Prince  of  Abyssinia. 

viii  + 157  pages.    Boards :  35  and  30  cents.    Cloth :  45  and  40  cents. 
Selections  from  Ruskin. 

EDWIN  GINN,  with  Notes  and  a  Sketch  of  Ruskin's  Life  by  D.  H.  MONT- 
GOMERY, xxv  +  148  pages.  Boards :  35  and  30  cents.  Cloth :  45  and 
40  cents. 

The  Two  Great  Retreats  of  History : 

I.  The  Retreat  of  the  Ten  Thousand,  taken  from  Grote's  "History  of 
Greece  " ;  II.  Napoleon's  Retreat  from  Moscow,  an  abridgment  of  Count 
Segur's  narrative.  D.  H.  MONTGOMERY,  xv  +  318  pages  and  two  maps. 
Boards :  50  and  40  cents.  Cloth :  60  and  50  cents. 

Heroic  Ballads, 

With  Poems  of  War  and  Patriotism.  Edited  with  Notes  by  D.  H.  MONT- 
GOMERY, vii  +  319  pages.  Boards :  50  and  40  cents.  Cloth :  60  and 
50  cents. 


ELEMENTARY   ENGLISH. 


THE  SERIES  OF  CLASSICS  FOR  CHILDREN 

TTAS  been  most  cordially  approved  by  the  press  and  the  critics, 
and  endorsed  by  teachers,  superintendents,  and  school  boards. 
The  books  are  in  wide  use  (1)  as  regular  readers,  (2)  as  supple- 
mentary readers,  and  (3)  in  school  and  home  libraries.  Out  of 
hundreds  of  testimonials  we  can  present  but  a  very  few :  — 


The  Critic,  New  York:  A  capital 
series. 

Education,  Boston:  These  books 
are  remarkably  cheap,  well  printed, 
well  edited,  and  should  have  an  ex- 
tended use. 

William  H.  Payne,  Pres.  of  Pea- 
body  Normal  College,  Nashville, 
Tenn. :  I  think  too  much  cannot  be 
said  in  favor  of  this  list  of  publica- 
tions, destined,  I  believe,  to  create  a 
correct  taste  for  reading,  and  to  dis- 
place much  that  is  now  working  in- 
jury to  the  mental  and  moral  habits 
of  the  young. 

J.  H.  Vincent,  Supt.  of  Instruction, 
Chautauqua  Assembly  :  I  desire  to 
express  my  great  satisfaction  with 
the  taste,  skill,  and  wisdom  of  the 
work.  I  wish  it  abundant  success. 

Mellen  Chamberlain,  Librarian, 
Boston  Public.  Library  :  These  pub- 
lications seem  to  me  to  be  of  great 
value,  whether  regarded  as  home 
reading  or  for  use  in  public  school. 

H.  0.  Wheeler,  Supt.  of  Schools, 


Burlington,  Vt. :  These  books  form 
an  admirable  series  for  reading  in 
the  home  as  well  as  in  the  school. 

F.  Louis  Soldan,  Prin.  of  Normal 
School,  St.  Louis,  Mo.:  The  idea  un- 
derlying these  books  is  meritorious 
in  itself,  and  its  execution  admirable. 

W.  M.  Crow,  Supt.  of  Schools,  Gal- 
veston,  Tex. :  Permit  me  to  say  that  I 
regard  your  series  of  Classics  for  Chil- 
dren as  the  best  literature  in  the  best 
form  that  has  ever  been  presented  to 
the  young  people  of  our  country. 

B.  B.  Snow,  Supt.  of  Schools,  Au- 
burn, N.  Y.  :  As  to  results,  I  venture 
to  say,  from  our  experience,  that  no 
one  who  undertakes  the  method  [of 
dispensing  with  regular  "  readers  "] 
will  willingly  abandon  it.  Our  read- 
ing exercise  is  the  most  interesting 
exercise  of  the  day.  The  pupils  look 
forward  to  it  eagerly,  the  interest  is 
absorbing,  and  the  exercise  is  reluc- 
tantly discontinued.  I  may  add  that 
the  teachers  are  as  much  interested 
as  the  pupils. 


Open  Sesame  !      (See  Common  School  Catalogue.) 

About  one  thousand  pieces  of  the  choicest  prose  and  verse,  compiled  by 
Mrs.  B.  W.  BELLAMY  and  Mrs.  M.  W.  GOODWIN.  Vol.  I.  for  children 
from  four  to  ten  years  old ;  Vol.  II.  for  children  from  ten  to  fourteen 
years  old ;  Vol.  III.  for  pupils  of  fourteen  years  or  over.  Each  is  illus- 
trated, handsomely  bound  in  cloth,  and  contains  about  350  pages.  Price 
of  each  to  teachers,  and  for  introduction,  75  cts. ;  by  mail,  90  cts. 


E.  A.  Sheldon,  Prin.  State  Normal 
School,   Osicego,  N.Y.:    It  is  very 
good  indeed.    We  think  it  the  best 
of  all  the  collections. 

F.  B.  Palmer,  Prin.  State  Normal 
School,  Fredonia,  N.Y.:  I  think  it 


by  far  the  best  collection  of  memory 
pieces  I  have  ever  seen. 

W.  E.  Buck,  Supt.  Public  Schools, 
Manchester,  N.H.:  It  is  a  beauty, 
and  of  all  similar  works  I  have  seen, 
it  has  the  most  desirable  selections. 


HIGHER  ENGLISH. 

[See  also  Classics  for  Children,  pages  2  to  5.] 

Lessons  in  English. 

Adapted  to  the  Study  of  American  Classics.  A  text-book  for  High 
Schools  and  Academies.  By  SARA  E.  H.  LOCKWOOD,  Teacher  of  Eng- 
lish in  the  High  School,  New  Haven,  Conn.  12mo.  Cloth,  xix  +  403 
pages.  Mailing  price,  $1.25;  for  introduction,  $1.12;  allowance  for  an 
old  book  in  exchange,  35  cents. 

Thanatopsis  and  Other  Favorite  Poems  of  Bryant. 

Prepared  especially  to  accompany  Lockwood's  Lessons  in  English. 
12mo.  Paper.  61  pages.  Mailing  price,  12  cents ;  for  introd.,  10  cents. 

rpHIS  is,  in  a  word,  a  practical  High  School  text-book  of  English, 
embracing  language,  composition,  rhetoric,  and  literature.  It 
aims  to  present,  in  simple  and  attractive  style,  the  essentials  of 
good  English;  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  develop  a  critical  literary 
taste,  by  applying  these  technical  rules  and  principles  to  the  study 
of  American  Glassies. 

The  plan  provides  for  a  course  in  English  extending  over  the 
pupil's  first  year  and  a  half  in  the  High  School,  the  work  being 
preparatory  to  the  study  of  English  Literature  as  usually  pursued 
in  schools  of  this  grade.  These  "  Lessons  "  include  the  most  im- 
portant facts  concerning  the  History  and  Elements  of  the  Lan- 
guage, Common  Errors  in  the  Use  of  English,  the  Study  of  Words, 
Rules  for  the  Construction  of  Sentences,  Figures  of  Speech,  Punc- 
tuation, Letter -Writing,  Composition,  and  Biographical  Sketches 
of  the  seven  authors  particularly  studied,  —  Irving,  Bryant,  Long- 
fellow, Whittier,  Hawthorne,  Holmes,  and  Lowell. 

No  other  text-book  on  English  includes  so  much.  It  is  at  once 
a  text-book  of  rhetoric,  a  hand-book  of  composition,  and  an  in- 
troduction to  American  Literature.  A  valuable  addition  to  the 
book  will  be  found  in  the  lists  of  references  given  at  the  close 
of  most  of  the  chapters  and  after  each  biographical  sketch.  These 
are  intended  to  aid  teachers  in  their  preparation  of  the  lessons, 
and  to  furnish  pupils  with  additional  sources  of  information. 


14  DAY  USE 

TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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